What A Flamin' Spirit
by Jasmine Reinier
Summary: Sawagejou Chou is an exJuppongatana member turned cop. When he's sent to Tokyo to destroy a drug ring, things don't go as planned when a certain waitress runs into his life...ChouTae TEMPORARY Hiatus
1. Ice With A Grudge?

"Who is this bird-head? He's obnoxious." - Chou to Sano

Jasmine: Yay! Ah-hahahahahaa! As far as I can tell…this is only the second Chou/Tae fic out there! WHOO! Yay for strange pairings! **_Grins_**

Chou: **_Sweat drops_** Can Ah take that maniacal laughter as a bad sign fer meh?

Jasmine: **_Evil glint_** YES! Oh, and I'm making it so that Chou is horribly shy around women! Major blush and stutter factor!

Chou: **_Lots 'n lots of sweat drops_**

Jasmine: Okay, the disclaimer…let this pain of not owning Rurouni Kenshin cause me to suddenly explode for no reason whatsoever!

Chou: **_Sulking in corner_**

Jasmine: **_Rolls eyes_** Well, anyways…let's get this thing started…TO THE FIC!

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_Bein' a cop ain't the best job in the world. 'Specially when ya're are forced ta' work under the former captain o' the third Shinsengumi unit, Saito Hajime. Oh yes, the great wolf, ruthless and cunnin'. Feh. Who am Ah kiddin'? This job **really** sucks._

Sawagejou Chou lazily strolled down the streets of Tokyo, casting annoyed glances at passerby. With only one eye, of course, but that didn't make the looks any **less** scary. His tall, gravity-defying, broom-like hair definitely set him apart from normal people, and his bright red and blue clothing didn't help to camouflage him any. However, Chou's normally carefree attitude, sadly, was nonexistent at the moment. Today, he was downright livid. He had good reason to be, though.

The former Juppongatana member sighed and glared at the bright white snow around him. _Dammit all…it's just mah luck ta' get sent ta' Tokyo durin' winter…so cold…Ah **hate** the cold…_

There had been reports of a drug-smuggling ring somewhere in town, and it was Chou's…um…_misfortune_...to be assigned to take it down. (Actually, it's just the authoress being mean, but ah well…) So far, no leads had come in, and the case was going nowhere. Which means the poor broom-head has been forced to **find** some leads. Out in the cold. In the dead of winter. Hence the bad mood.

"Damn criminals…damn Saito…damn luck…damn winter…da-GAH!"

A loud yelp and a thump tore through the air.

As did many, many curses.

Chou growled in annoyance and rubbed his sore back. It was just his luck to fall on the only ice in town! He damned everything from criminals to winter once more and tried to pick himself up. This, of course, didn't work very well, as ice is quite slick and doesn't like to be stepped on. With another cry, his feet slipped out from under him and he fell backwards. Again.

"WHY DOES MAH LIFE HAVE TA' SUCK SO BAD?"

"'Scuse meh, sir, do ya' need some help?"

Chou blinked (winked?) up at the lady standing over him. In his anger at the ice, he hadn't even noticed her appear. His gaze took in her clothing: from her red-orange shirt and white-ruffled, apron-like waitresses uniform, to her russet hair that was neatly pulled back with a white handkerchief. The strangest thing about her seemed to be that both of her eyes…were closed. "Uh…w-well…sorta…" Did I mention that he's not very good around females?

The woman grinned. "All right then, lemme help ya' up. Just grab mah hand and Ah'll pull ya' off o' dat ice."

The former Juppongatana member stared up at her in disbelief. _Does she even know who Ah am? What Ah was? Though…I s'pose not many people do…still…don't Ah look at least **slightly** threatenin'?_ Just great! Now his ego had to suffer a blow! Oh yes, today was a **swell** day indeed!

"Are ya' gonna jus' sit there lookin' at meh, or are ya' gonna take mah hand?"

Chou shook himself out of his thoughts and glanced down at the hand. Before he could stop it, his arm moved forward automatically, grasping it tightly. The woman beamed and pulled back as hard as she could, successfully dragging the broom-head along. With another yelp, Chou slid off of the ice and onto the gravel road, toppling unceremoniously forward onto his face, accidentally dragging the lady along with him. She squeaked and flopped hard onto his back, causing a muffled "Oomph!" to force its way from his throat. The wind was completely knocked from him, and it took Chou a few seconds to say anything. But when he did…

"Oh…Ah damn mah luck…Ah think ya' broke mah baaaack…" The broom-head groaned, feeling thoroughly squished and quite a bit peeved.

"Oh no! Ah'm so sorry!" The woman quickly pushed herself up, blushing furiously in the process.

Chou coughed and took in a few more breaths of air in an attempt to regain his now mostly non-existent composure. "Right…th-that's 'kay…ya' d-didn't mean ta'…was m-mah fault anyways…" Deciding that he no longer wished to be friends with the ground, the former Juppongatana member jumped up as fast as he could (which really wasn't that fast, considering the squished-ness…), bending his back in the process. He waited for a few choice pops before he righted himself once more.

"Right then…well…nice ta' meet ya'…mah name's Sekihara Tae." The woman smiled warmly and held out her hand once more, though this time for a different reason.

Chou merely stared at her, unsure of what she wanted him to do.

Tae blinked (yes, her eyes are open now…), her grin never faltering, as though sensing the broom-head's discomfort.

"Er…r-right…" He tentatively reached out and shook her hand, reddening horribly at the contact. "S-Sawagejou Ch-Chou…"

The waitress had to stifle an urge to giggle at the expression on the poor man's face. _Well…he does look kinda cute like that…all red 'n shy…_ Tae coughed pointedly, going slightly pink herself at her outrageous thoughts. _Ah have no idea where **that** came from…_

Chou let go of her hand so fast it might have been a snake. "Right…I b-best be…goin'…th-thanks f-fer helpin' m-meh out…" He turned around abruptly and started off, crossing his arms and trying to look annoyed again, when the truth was…he was anything **but** annoyed at the moment. His meeting with this…Sekihara Tae…had been almost…nice… _So much fer mah bad mood…_

"Wait a second!" The sound of running feet behind him startled the broom-head, and he stopped in his tracks.

"Eh?" Chou muttered under his breath, turning his head slightly to regard the person now standing next to him, who just **happened** to be Sekihara Tae herself. "E-er…" He stuttered, swallowing hard. _Gah…why can't she jus' leave meh alone? And why does she wanna be near meh? Or even **talk** to meh, for that matter? Feh…_

"It seems we're both goin' the same way…can Ah walk with ya' fer a while, Sawagejou-san?" Tae grinned up at him, meaning every word.

**Crash!**

The waitress blinked a few times and looked down, giving the sprawled out form of Chou a confused glance after his very graceful face-fall.

"Wh-what? Why w-would ya' w-wanna do **that**?" The broom-head bounced back up, giving her a look that clearly asked, "Are you freakin' crazy?"

Tae sweat dropped. "What? Do ya' not want meh ta'?"

"Gah! N-no! Th-that's not wh-what Ah meant!" Chou stammered out, starting to get very flustered (and very red).

The waitress tilted her head to the side. "So…ya' **do** wanna walk with meh?" Tae smirked triumphantly, crossing her arms in front of her in her "I'm-so-victorious-watch-me-be-all-high-and-mighty" pose.

Chou knew when he had lost. _This is almost as embarrassin' as loosin' that bet ta' Kamatari and havin' ta' wear that pink 'n purple women's kimono for a week…wait…**nothin'** could be as bad as **that**…so then…maybe Ah will walk with this girl…s'not like anythin' could happen…'cept Ah might have all the blood rush ta' mah face and die…feh…_ "Right th-then…if ya' m-must…ya'll jus' h-have ta' keep up w-with meh…" The broom-head suddenly started off at a brisk pace, not even looking back to see if Tae was following him. Which she was. Of course. Damn…

The waitress had to practically jog to keep up with Chou, but she was determined to for a reason she couldn't explain. "So…do ya' live 'round here? Ah've never seen ya' before at the Akabeko…"

The former Juppongatana member blinked (winked?) a few times. "N-naw…Ah used ta' live i-in Osaka, but n-now Ah'm in Kyoto. And what's this Akabeko?"

Tae started open-mouthed at him. "Ya' don't know what the Akabeko is? Why, it's a restaurant! Mah father is the owner, and Ah work there as the head waitress. If ya' live in Kyoto, ya' should know what the **Sakabeko** is, right?"

Chou shrugged. "Never heard of it. Ah kinda don't have much free time…what with-" Kuso! He has almost told her that he was a cop! Stupid! This proved that he was getting **way** too comfortable with this girl. He'd just have to get away from her as fast as possible…

"What with what? What were ya' sayin'?"

"E-er…nothin'…hey listen, Ah gotta get goin'. There's somewhere Ah need ta' be…"

Tae sighed in disappointment. She had enjoyed talking with Chou and wished that it didn't have to end so soon. "A-all right then…wait! Maybe ya' could come bah the Akabeko sometime and have lunch…ya' know…it'll even be on the house. What do ya' say?"

The pleading look the broom-head was getting was too powerful for him to ignore. _Damn woman…how'd Ah get mahself inta this mess? Gah…_ "Oh, fine then…Ah s'pose Ah'll stop in sometime and have a bite ta' eat…"

The waitress grinned widely. "Thank ya' Sawagejou-san! Tomorrow at twelve o' clock sharp, 'kay? Ah'll be waitin' fer ya'!" And she bounced off, leaving a very confused and perplexed Chou behind.

_Well…that was…interestin'…did she…have Ah…_ "Been asked out on a **_date_**?" He finished out-loud, as though confirming his suspicion. "Ah can't believe it…there's no way…Ah can't **possibly** have…naw…nope…it's not true…she was jus' kiddin'…" Then he remembered the sincere and thrilled look on Tae's face. "She wasn't kiddin'…Ah really have been…whoa…" The broom-head blinked, completely thrown for a loop. _And Yumi and Kamatari said Ah'd never get asked out! Oh yeah! Go meh! Ah didn't even do nothin', either!_ Chou closed his eye and stood there for a few minutes, mulling over what had just happened to him. By the time he was aware of his surroundings again, the sun had almost disappeared. He looked up at the sky, noting the beautiful oranges and purples as a sign that night was almost upon Tokyo. _Kuso…it's later then Ah thought…Ah might as well get back ta' the inn…it's not like Ah'm gonna find any leads now…_ Not with his thoughts all jumbled up, anyways. And, with that, Chou sauntered back to the inn he was staying in, never noticing the dark silhouette that was slowly but surely trailing behind him.

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Jasmine: Dun, dun, duuuuun! Bwa-hahahahahahaa! Cliffy! Well…sort of…

Chou: **_Still sulking_**

Jasmine: Okay, peoples…I have many plans for this story, but if you don't like it so far, I won't finish it. I know that Chou/Tae is an…interesting…pairing, but **please** give it a chance! I mean…Broomie is so cute!

Chou: **_Sulking and going red_**

Jasmine: Oh, and the Kenshin-gumi are gonna be in this, too…the pairings are as follows: Kenshin/Kaoru, Sanosuke/Megumi, Yahiko/Tsubame, Aoshi/Misao (if I manage to get them in this…), and Saito/Tokio (sort of…).

Chou: Feh…

Jasmine: Please tell me if I got his and Tae's accent right…I haven't seen Chou in the anime in a **long** time, and I only saw Tae recently…oh, and if you could fill me in on his past…that would be helpful, though I suppose I could just make something up…let's see…what else? Oh! Names for an inn? Heh heh…I can't come up with one… "The Cherry Blossom Inn" sounded cheesy… Anything else, Broomie?

Chou: **_Glares_** How 'bout mah and Tae's ages?

Jasmine: Oh! Right…in this fic, Tae is gonna be twenty-two and Chou is gonna be twenty-six…I researched, but couldn't find their ages… **_Sweat drops_**

Chou: _**Crosses arms and death-glares**_

Jasmine: And I know that this chappie was short, but I wanted the whole Chou/Tae encounter to happen before anything else…I'll make the next one longer! Oh, and I commend Miss Daydream for coming up with the Chou/Tae pairing…it was her idea first to put them together. Ja for now, and tell me if you want me to continue!

"People only have hope because they cannot see Death standing behind them..."

R and R!


	2. Bird Vs Broom! Round 2!

"Bah-room! Broom!" – Iori

Jasmine: YAY! I got reviewers! **_Happy dances_**

Chou: Feh…this sucks…Ah hate bein' stuck here…

Jasmine: Oh, you know you **love** it, don't deny your true feelings! Okies…the disclaimer…let this pain of not owning Rurouni Kenshin cause a haphazard pigeon to randomly attack my head! Let's see, I have found a name for the inn…it's going to be called "The Eien Rakkii Inn". It translates literally to "The Eternity Luck Inn" or "The Eternal Luck Inn". It sounded like a place Chou would stay in…Broomie, please say thank-you to my wonderful, stupendous, awesome reviewers!

Chou: Yeah, yeah…thanks…Ah s'pose… **_Sulking_**

To GreenEyedFloozy: Feh! I did **so** tell you that I posted! You just don't pay any attention when I'm telling you things…hn…or **maybe** it's because you **forget** things too easily? **_Anger mark_** And since when have you called him "Blondie"?

To Angel Waters: Hiya, Angel! Thanks for reviewing! Oh, hi Bob!

To Spyoo: Really? YAY! **_Happy dances_** I love you! (Sorry…I'm strange…too much sugar, maybe?) I was afraid that I messed up the accents horribly…it's nice to know that you liked them! **_Grins_** I think Chou and Tae are sooo cute together! Plus, they're both from Osaka…hmm… Oh! Kewl name, by the way! Isn't spyoo the sound effect of blood spurting out of Kenshin's head? Like when he got hit with that pigeon in the manga? **_Giggles_**

To Narakunohime: YAY! **_More happy dancing_** It's good? Yes! It took me **forever** to do the first chappie! I shall continue! ONWARD!

Jasmine: Okay, evil Microsoft Word Processor! HAVE AT YOU! **_Charges_**

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What A Flamin' Spirit – Chapter Two: The Bird Versus The Broom (Round Two)

**-With Chou-**

Sawagejou Chou yawned widely and stretched his arms above his head, languidly cracking his fingers in the process. _What was the way back ta' that inn? Is this the right road? Kuso…and the name of it was "The Eien Rakkii"? Was that it? Feh…at least Ah'm almost there…Ah **think**, anyways…gah…so tired…_ He yawned again. It had been a long day for him…first, having to trudge all around Tokyo trying to gather up leads, then having a run-in with some ice that had a grudge against him, and finally…his meeting with Sekihara Tae. The last one confused him to no end, and was still worked up about it… "Ah mean…anyone would beh! That woman…what was her problem? She hardly knows meh at all! And…and…there's nothin' ta' like 'bout meh anyways! Ah have a sword fetish! Ah kill people! Ah'm an evil bastard that deserves ta' burn! Fear mah wrath of doom!" Chou growled for emphasis. Well, at least he could boost his ego somewhat after the horrible bruising it had gotten…he'd never felt so flustered in his life. _Damn woman… _"Yeah! What's so special 'bout her anyways? Ah've never been **that** bad around any **other** women…what makes her any different? 'Course…Ah've always been a bit…shy…but this even tops the firs' time Ah met Yumi! _That damned slut started hittin' on meh jus' ta' see how much she could make meh blush…and who told her that Ah was like that? Ah bet it was Soujiro…if that ahou ever comes back from his wanderin' and Ah manage ta' find 'im, he's gonna get a taste o' mah Hakujin… _

Busy thinking methods in which to kill the poor Tenken, Chou didn't notice that the ever-present silhouette had gotten closer. Even now it was creeping forward, ready to attack when the broom-head least expected it…

"…Feh! And what does that Tae woman think Ah am? A freakin' clock? Twelve o' clock sharp…che…she can jus' go ta' a certain place, 'cause Ah'm not-"

"HEY, BROOM-HEAD!" The silhouette yelled, springing upon the unsuspecting man with a loud whoop.

Chou died. Literally. His heart stopped beating, and he saw the light at the end of the tunnel. He pushed up the daisies, and was about to go meet his maker. He was not only a former member of the Juppongatana, but also an **ex** former member of the Juppongatana. In other words, Chou kicked the bucket. **Far**.

Sagara Sanosuke fell to the ground laughing at the expression on the broom-head's face. The poor guy looked like he had just been told that he had to eat Kaoru's cooking for a whole year! "AH-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAA! I got ya', broom-head! I wish I had a mirror! AH-HAHAHAHAHAHAA!" Sano clutched his stomach and laughed even harder.

Chou didn't reply.

The bird-head finally laughed himself out and blinked up at the former member of the Juppongatana, expecting a witty comeback. Instead, poor Chou just stood there, looking horribly pale and staring blankly at the ground.

"Er…broom-head?" Sanosuke jumped up and snapped his fingers in front of Chou's face. "Hey…wakey, wakey…oh-oh…Hey, Kenshin? I think I killed him!"

"**Oro**? Sano!" Himura Kenshin appeared, walking out from hiding in the nearest alleyway, and he gave Sano "the look". Kamiya Kaoru and Myojin Yahiko weren't far behind him.

"What? It's not like I meant to…" The bird-head shrugged and crossed his arms in front of him.

"Sure, you moron! What an idiot…**I** wouldn't have been so stupid…" Yahiko grumbled, looking at Sano in disgust.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY, SHRIMP?"

"I CALLED YOU A MORON, IDIOT!"

"WHY, YOU LITTLE-"

Ignoring the sounds of fighting around them, Kaoru and Kenshin both walked over to Chou and blinked.

"Oro…this one…thinks Sano overdid it a little, that he does…" The rurouni sweat dropped.

"I agree…but I know what'll wake him up…" Kaoru grinned evilly and took out her "shinai of doom and pain". Where she got it…**nobody knows**…not even Kami-sama himself! **Gasp**!

Kenshin's eyes widened and he stepped back a few feet.

**Crack!**

"GAH! DAMMIT, WHAT WAS THAT FER, WOMAN?" Chou yelped, rubbing at the side of his head in agony.

Kaoru gave him a satisfied smirk. "Yup, looks like it worked!"

The broom-head blinked. _What the hell happened? All Ah 'member was somethin' jumpin' out at meh…that was strange…_ He looked over at the fighting Sano and Yahiko: the former was furiously trying to tug the latter off of his head. "Hey…what's bird-head doin' here? S'matter of fact…" Chou glared down at Kenshin and Kaoru. "What're **ya'** doin' here? What the **hell** is goin' **on**?"

"Er…well…this one can-" Suddenly, there was a call of, "Fly, Yahiko!" and…

**Boom!**

"ORO!" Kenshin assumed the "oro face" just as Yahiko slammed into him. Both were sent flying backwards into a conveniently placed bush.

The young kendo instructor coughed, not even fazed by Kenshin's sudden disappearance. "Well…we kinda…saw you with Tae, earlier…and…wedecidedtofollowyouincaseyouwereuptosomethingbad!" (Translation: "We decided to follow you in case you were up to something bad!")

Chou blinked. "EH?"

Kaoru swallowed hard, sweat dropped, and pointed wildly at the bird-head. "IT WAS ALL SANOSUKE'S IDEA!"

Sano, who was desperately trying to get Yahiko's spit out of his hair, froze. "YOU CAN'T PIN IT ALL ME, MISSY!"

"IT WAS **ALL** HIM!"

"WAS NOT!"

"WAS TOO!"

"NOT!"

"TOO!"

"NOT!"

"TOO!"

Chou developed an anger mark.

"NOT!"

"TOO!"

Scratch that. Multiple anger marks.

"NOT!"

"TOO!"

"WOULD YA'LL JUS' SHUT THE HELL UP?"

There was total silence.

The broom-head closed his eye and breathed in and out for a few seconds. "'Kay…calmly now…tell meh **why** ya' were followin' meh."

Sanosuke grinned. "Well, we saw that little scene with Tae, and wondered what you were doin' back in Tokyo…I decided to tail you and see if you were up to somethin'…" His eyes narrowed, and he leaned forward, almost nose-to-nose with the broom-head. "You aren't, are you? 'Cause I might just have to beat the shit out of you if you are…"

Chou's temper snapped. "OH? BEAT THE SHIT OUTTA MEH? AH'D LIKE TA' SEE YA' TRY, BIRD-HEAD!"

Sanosuke glared at him. "I'D LOVE TO, BROOM-HEAD!"

"FIGHT MEH, YA' BASTARD! AH'LL CREAM YA'!"

"YOU COULDN'T CREAM CORN WITH THOSE SKINNY ARMS!"

Kaoru sweat dropped. "Erm…Sano…that didn't make any sense…"

"BIRD!"

"BROOM!"

"BIRD!"

"BROOM!"

Kenshin blinked, and his swirly eyes disappeared. "Oro…Sano…Chou…this one thinks that it is no time for fighting, that he does…" The rurouni pushed himself out of the bush and grabbed Yahiko, who looked like he wanted to rush head-first right into the fray.

"Aww…come on, Kenshin! That looks like **fun**!" The young boy gestured to the huge dust cloud that was Sano and Chou.

"BIRD!"

"BROOM!"

"BIRD!"

"BROOM!"

Kaoru sighed and removed the "shinai of doom and pain" once more from her kimono top (presumably…). She took careful aim, lifted her arm back, and threw the bamboo sword right into the dust could. There were simultaneous "GAH!"s from both men, and the dust cleared to reveal both of them on the ground with identical red welts on their heads.

"There, that should shut you two up for now…" The kendo instructor grinned and went over to retrieve her weapon.

"Jeese…that was some throw…" Chou groaned, rubbing at his sore head for the second time that day.

"That was nothing…Missy can be downright **dangerous** on her bad days…" Sanosuke sighed, thankful that this wasn't Kaoru's "bad day".

Kenshin let go of Yahiko and strolled over next to Kaoru. "So Chou, what **are** you doing here? This one hasn't seen Saito around, that he hasn't…"

The broom-head growled slightly. "Feh…Ah see no reason ta' tell ya'…but I s'pose Ah will…Ah've been assigned ta' take down a drug-smugglin' ring somewhere in town…" He pushed himself off of the ground and dusted at his pants. "Ya' haven't heard anythin', have ya'? Ah haven't been able ta' find anythin' 'bout the ring…it's like they don't even exist."

Sano, who of course had listened to the whole thing, blinked in confusion. "Drug-smuggling ring? No…I can't say I've seen or heard anything…"

"Oro? This one hasn't either…"

Kaoru shook her head in disbelief. "There's one in town? Sheesh…you'd think the police would have gotten on it sooner…"

The former Juppongatana member scowled. "Feh…whatever…so, do ya'll still need ta' see if Ah'm doin' somethin' bad, or can Ah go ta' mah inn? Which…" He sweat dropped. "…Is somewhere 'round here…Ah think…"

Yahiko snorted. "Your sense of direction is as bad as Sano's! He gets lost in Kyoto, and you get lost in Tokyo…you're both pathetic!"

The said two combined their glares, and, in a matter of seconds, Yahiko was mush.

Kenshin gave his trademark rurouni grin. "Which one are you staying in?"

Chou coughed. "Um… 'The Eien Rakkii Inn'…"

"Oh, that's easy! Just go down this road and take a right. The sign is big and simple to find. You shouldn't miss it, that you shouldn't."

There was a few seconds of silence.

"Well…thanks…Ah s'pose…" The broom-head shrugged and crossed his arms. "Ah'll be goin', then. Tell meh if ya'll find anythin', 'kay? Ah could use all the help Ah can get…" He turned around and began to walk away. "Oh, and Sagara? Watch yer back. We ain't finished our little fight yet."

Right before Chou disappeared around the corner, Sano could be heard mumbling."What a conceited, arrogant, stupid, jerk…"

**-With Tae-**

"Tae-san, is someone…on your mind?"

Startled, Sekihara Tae blinked and looked down at her cleaning partner, Sanjo Tsubame. "What? Did ya' say somethin', Tsubame?"

The little waitress blushed slightly and nervously grinned. "Well…you have the same look on your face as I always get when…I'm thinking about…Yahiko."

It was time for the Akabeko to close, and Tae and Tsubame were doing some last minute cleaning. It was clear to Tsubame, though, that Tae's mind was on something entirely different than the dirty dishes and the messy tables.

Tae grinned and whispered softly. "Can ya' keep a secret, Tsubame?"

The girl nodded her head slowly, unsure.

"Well…today…Ah kinda…met a guy…"

"Oh, you did, Tae-san? That's wonderful! What's he like? Ooo…can I meet him?"

"Slow down, slow down! Oh, and ya will get yer chance ta' meet 'im tomorrow…Ah invited him over…" Tae's grin widened. "Let's see…Ah don't know much 'bout 'im…but…he was tall 'n thin…beautiful green eyes…well, eye…one was always closed…blond hair that stuck up like a broom…a swordsman, too, Ah could tell…he had 'bout five swords on 'im…he was shy…went red when Ah shook his hand…and…he was sweet, though he acted all arrogant and tough…" Throughout this whole description, unknown to Tae, she had a **very** dreamy look on her face.

Tsubame almost fell to the ground in a fit of giggles. "Tae-san, I think you've been love-struck! Did you catch his name?"

The head waitress sighed leisurely. "Chou…Sawagejou Chou…" _Love-struck? As in…love at firs' sight? Nah…it can't beh…Ah barely even know 'im…though…that's gonna change tomorrow, isn't it? Ah guess…Ah'll see when we get_ _there…_

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Jasmine: **_Wipes away tear_** Aww…I went from downright strange to kinda sweet…I'm so weird…

Chou: **_Blushing_** Feh!

Jasmine: **_Giggles_** You **know** you enjoy it when your Tae-chan talks about you in her "dreamy voice"!

Chou: **_Crimson_** F-feh…

Jasmine: Okay! I know this was kind of a boring chappie…but it should get good soon…I have major fluff planned…I love fluff…**_Coughs_** I just had to introduce some of the Kenshin-gumi into the mix…next chappie should be better!

Chou: Ah doubt it!

Jasmine: Aww…you're such a sweet guy! You just act all arrogant, but deep down, you- 

Chou: **_Crimson again_** ENOUGH!

Jasmine: Well, 'till next time, loyal reviewers, this is Jasmine Reinier, signing off!

"People only have hope because they cannot see Death standing behind them…"

R and R!


	3. The Woman Who Fights With A Pan!

"Those are things that make you go 'Brrr…!'" – Ron "Tater Salad" White

Jasmine and Tae: (Busy drooling over the tenth Rurouni Kenshin manga)

Chou: (Looks over shoulders) EH? What am **AH** doin' in there?

Jasmine: (Drooling) Getting your ass whooped by Kenshin…

Tae: (Drooling) And lookin' **very** good while doin' it…

Chou: (Anger mark/blush) A-Ah did **n-not** git mah a-ass whooped!

Jasmine: (Drooling) Ooooo…look at **that** picture, Tae!

Tae: (Slight swoon) Tee hee…shirtless…(Giggles)

Chou: (Crimson) GAH! Ah'm s-stranded in an e-estrogen ocean! Do y-ya' two l-ladies know that th-the reviewers a-are watchin' y-ya'?

Jasmine and Tae: (Squeak, hide the manga, and blush)

Jasmine: (Very red) Right then…the disclaimer: may this pain of not owning Rurouni Kenshin cause me to be attacked by random orange lizards OUT TO GET ME! Oh, I love ya', reviewers! Here's to you! (Coughing fit)

To Spyoo-san: Tee hee…(Pictures a broom attacking a rooster) Ah, so classic, that it is! (Grins) YAY! The Tae scene was cute? Thankies! Oh, and the spyoo thing is kewl! I wish I could come up with a name like that…(Crosses arms) Feh!

To Kiwigrl89-san: It's great? (Tearing up) I FEEL SO LOVED! (Sobs) I'm all happy now! THANK YOU! Oh, and hopefully you can expect more Chou/Tae fics in the future, for my friends want to write some! (Grinning happily)

To GreenEyedFloozy-chan: …Aurore…you SUCK! GO. TO. HELL! He doesn't resemble Spike in the LEAST! (Super-ultra-mega-glare-of-death) DIE! Burn SLOWLY! MAY YOUR ORGANS BE GRADUALLY COOKED INSIDE OF YOU AND MAY YOUR ENTRAILS BE TIED AROUND A CEILING FAN! …(Mutters) …Rabid-baka-neko-chan…

To Darkspirals-chan: Yay! Hiya! Thanks for reviewing, and I shall continue! Onward, again!

To Lexi-Teniro-chan: (Shifty eyes…shifty eyes) Shh! I was **_hoping_** nobody would **_notice_**! (Cough cough) Anyways, thanks for the review, kitsune-chan! (Gah-rins) Chou/Tae is FUN to write!

Hajimenokizu-sama: (Happy happy happy) You reviewed me! YAY! I can't believe it! THANK YOU SO MUCH! (Ecstatic) I absolutely **adore** your fic, and am sooo happy that you've been updating! **Please** keep it up!

To Saitouu Ryuuji-sama: Yes, Chou **is** awesome, isn't he? (Grins) Okay! I've read some of your story, and **love** it so far! You'd better update…(Evil smirk) And yes…Chou/Tae is sooo **cute**! (Happy dances)

To Hikari Hrair-Rah-sama: Wow! Thank you for reviewing me! (Happy) So kewl! I loved your fic, by the way! Now I just need to read the Kenshin and the Hiko one…(Grins)

Jasmine: (Blushing) Ahem…well…here we go! Third chappie, ahoy!

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What A Flamin' Spirit – Chapter Three: The Woman With The Flamin' Spirit!

(The Next Day – 11:45 a.m.)

**-With Tae-**

Sekihara Tae sighed quietly and slipped out the front door of the Akabeko, murmuring a small reassurance to Tsubame that she was only going for a walk and would be back soon. The waitress stared dejectedly down at the ground and began stepping slowly forward, not even looking where she was going. She felt that…she had to get out for a while…to calm her nerves…yeah…_But why do Ah feel so…distressed that…that…**he**…hasn't shown up yet?_ Though…that was to be expected, right? It wasn't as though…she was…**waiting**…or anything…

"Shit…" Tae grumbled out loud, annoyed that she actually **had** been waiting. Heck, she had been waiting **anxiously**! What was the world **coming to**? She had only met the guy yesterday…how could…how could she be waiting **anxiously** for even…even…a **glimpse** of him? It didn't make **any** sense! None at all!

_Though…there was somethin'…'bout 'im…somethin' that…what was it Ah felt towards 'im? Ah don't understand…is this what…Kaoru-chan feels towards Kenshin-san?_ It was a startling prospect, but there was no way she could overlook it. And now, more than ever, she wished to see Sawagejou Chou again…just so…she could see if this "feeling" was real…

"Hey look, it's a woman!"

Tae squeaked and spun around, shocked to hear a voice behind her. She was even more surprised to see a group of about seven men blocking the path she had just taken. _Damn! Where am Ah? Next time, Ah should really watch where Ah'm goin'…_ A quick look around confirmed that she was in a part of town that she **really** didn't want to be in. And none of the men looked like they wanted to say, "Hello, good morning!" to her.

"No shit, imbecile! We can see that it's a woman!" The one on the far right glowered, displaying…NO TEETH!

Tae scowled. _Are they referrin' ta' meh as an 'it'? Ah am not an 'it'!_ "Hey boys, watch it with the way yer talkin' ta' meh! Ah…" She reached into the front of her uniform and pulled out…a PAN? "…am the one and only master o' Sekihara Pan-ryuu!" (Which basically means that she fights with…(Snickers)…a pan…)

The men merely gaped at her for a few seconds, and then simultaneously burst into loud, raucous laughter.

The waitress glared at them. "Oh? Ya' think Ah'm kiddin' 'round? Ah'll kick yer arses!"

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(11:50 a.m.)

**-With Chou-**

…_Damn…damn…damn…_

Sawagejou Chou was utterly and horribly lost. He was lost beyond belief. L.O.S.T. **Lost**.

"This sucks…" He grumbled out-loud in annoyance. It just wasn't fair! Why did he have to choose **now** to get lost? With his luck, he'd be late for his date with Tae! …Wait…since when had it been labeled a date?

_Since you called it that, stupid._ A little voice in his head answered smugly.

Chou blinked. _Great, now Ah'm goin' crazy…Ah never thought **Ah'd** have a "Mr. Voice-in-mah-head"…Ah bet boss has one, too…it sure makes sense…_

The former member of the Juppongatana was startled out of his musings by several loud clangs and many **manly** yelps of pain.

"Eh? Wh-what the h-hell was that?" Chou sputtered, looking around himself for the source of the noise. "W-well…Ah'd better…ch-check it out…'cause Ah'm an o-officer, after all…"

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(11:55 a.m)

**-With Tae-**

Sekihara Tae grinned sadistically and brought her pan up again for another attack. "Sekihara Pan-ryuu…Phoenix Pan Bash!"

**Clang!**

_Maybe he'll beh there…when Ah get back ta' the Akabeko!_

"Flamin' Phoenix Thrust!"

**Clang!**

_Fer our date…_

"Fiery Wing Slam!

**Clang!**

_Wait…did Ah just call it a…DATE?_

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(11:56 a.m.)

**-With Chou-**

**Clang!**

**Clang!**

**Clang!**

Chou's eye widened. "'Kay…that s-sound…is c-comin' from o-over there…Ah think…" He didn't know what scared him more…sure, there was the fact that the screams were distinctly masculine and freaked him out a bit, but…

If they had been from a female, he'd have gotten out of there as fast as his legs could carry him. He wouldn't have even helped her. He had his reasons, though…

It wasn't that…he was…**afraid** of women, or anything…

Of course he wasn't!

There was nothing about them to be afraid **of**!

…Okay, so that was a total and complete lie…

He most definitely was **petrified** of them…

So what?

The former member of the Juppongatana looked around at the old, decaying houses around him. _This must beh the bad part o' Tokyo…_ He wasn't disgusted, though…as a child, he had gotten used to dirt and grime. Foul, devious-looking men glared at him from their merchant carts on the edges of the muddy road, offering goods that should never have been offered to **anyone**. If the broom-head had a little more time on his hands, he would have busted them on the spot. Sadly, there were potential deaths to look into, and that was all he could think about at the moment. Plus, the clanging noises were getting louder.

Chou stopped at a two-way crossing, and debated whether to go right or left. He seemed to always get lost…was that because he had absolutely no depth perception? Or was it sheer horrible, dumb luck? Maybe…it was because he had a sense of direction equivalent to a broken stoplight? (Not that he'd know what that is, but…ah well!) "Well…lemme see…" He listened hard, but couldn't decipher whether the clangs were coming from one way…or the other… "Ah s'pose…Ah'll make an educated guess…"

So, he went left! Why? No clue…he just likes left better…feh…so much for educated guesses…the sad thing was, though…

That he was right! For once! …Feh…

As the broom-head rounded the corner, the sight that met him caused his left eye to open, his right eye to widen, and his jaw to drop.

There, lo and behold, was Sekihara Tae.

Amid three unconscious men.

And fighting four others…

WITH A SKILLET?

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(11:57 a.m.)

**-With Tae-**

"AND TAKE SOME O' THIS, YA' BASTARDS!"

**Clang!**

There were only four men left. And all of them were completed baffled.

"It's just a woman!" One stated roughly, charging at Tae with an idiotic recklessness.

"Bad move, idjit…AND WHAT DID AH SAY 'BOUT CALLIN' MEH AN 'IT'?"

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(11:58 a.m.)

**-With Chou-**

**Clang!**

To say that he was completely shocked was an understatement.

Tae had just knocked out a **man**…a **full-grown** man…

With her skillet!

"Shit!" Chou exclaimed, watching in horror as another of the men crept up behind the waitress and grabbed her around the stomach. She squeaked and immediately tried bashing the guy over the head…which didn't work very well…

The former member of the Juppongatana cursed under his breath and decided to take action. Unstrapping one of his katanas…sheath and all…he barreled forward, not even sure of what he was going to do, but absolutely **knowing** that he had to do something. With a war cry that startled the three men left (as the other one is holding onto Tae), he threw himself into the fray.

"Who the hell're **you**?" The one with no teeth exclaimed, cracking his knuckles in the process. He pointed at Chou with a grubby finger. "We don't take kindly to people interrupting our **fun**!"

For some reason, this statement angered the broom-head. "Ya're 'fun' has gotten outta hand! Ah'm gonna stop it right here, right now…and unless ya'll want some broken bones, Ah suggest ya' leave!"

The three men guffawed.

"Oh?" One asked, licking his cracked lips. "Are you not going to unsheathe that sword? What are you, **scared**?" The man reached into his boot and came up holding a small knife. The other two followed suit, pulling knives and short swords out of pockets and sleeves. "Eh, BROOM-HEAD?"

Chou saw red, and he GAH-LARED at the men. He put all of his hatred, his anger, and his loathing into that glare.

But this was no normal glare.

It was a GAH-LARE.

Before the broom-head could so much as blink, all three of the guys were gone. _Whoa…Ah've spent **way** too much time 'round the boss…Ah think Ah've adopted his glare…and…why **didn't** Ah unsheathe mah katana? _The truth was…he didn't want to kill anyone in front of Tae. But…why would it have mattered? He had killed people around women before…how was this situation any different?

"LET GO O' MEH, YA' JERK! LET GO!"

Chou spun around. _Shit! Ah almost fergot 'bout Tae!_ The former member of the Juppongatana ran over to the man (who was struggling to pull the poor waitress into the nearest alleyway, and thus didn't notice the broom-head), and slammed the katana sheath into the side of his head. The guy fell backwards unconscious, but Tae managed to stay on her feet. She kicked at the body and gripped her pan tighter in her hands. Chou stuffed his katana back into his belt and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Tae? Are ya' alri-"

**Clang!**

(12:00 p.m.)

Sekihara Tae blinked and stared at the dent in her pan. _Whoa…that last guy had a hard head…but…why did he sound so familiar?_ She looked down, expecting to see some disgusting-looking man that she had never seen before in her life. Boy, was she **ever** wrong…

"SAWAGEJOU-SAN?" _OH SHIT! AH JUST KNOCKED OUT SAWAGEJOU-SAN!_ The waitress kneeled down next to the poor broom-head and gently turned him over. The sight that met her was so amusing that she couldn't help but giggle: both of Chou's eyes were swirly! He had assumed Kenshin's "oro face"! "Um…S-Sawagejou-san? Are ya' o-okay?"

The broom-head blinked a few times and stared up at Tae from his location on the ground. "Ugh…what…hit meh?" Why did he suddenly have a strange urge to "oro" multiple times? Damn, it was a good thing that his head was so hard…

"Er…y-ya see…" The waitress clapped a hand over her mouth and burst out laughing. "AH H-HIT YA' W-WITH MAH P-PAN!"

Chou failed to see the humor in this. Well, for the first five seconds, anyway. And then, he too began to laugh. "Wh-what? W-with yer s-skillet?"

"I-it's not a-a skillet! I-it's a p-pan!"

The broom-head snorted loudly, and Tae laughed even harder. She flopped forward onto him and giggled into his sleeve. They stayed like this for a few minutes; until Chou finally realized what position they were in.

Can you say…BAH-LUSH?

It's like a normal blush…

ONLY TEN-TIMES DEADLIER!

"T-T-Tae…e-e-er…."

The waitress pushed herself off of him and wiped the tears of laughter from under her eyes. "Oh mah…Ah don't think Ah've ever laughed so much in mah life…" She didn't seem to see the crimson-red that now adorned the broom-head's face. "So, Sawagejou-san…why're ya' here, anyways? Ah thought…" Tae's mouth turned down a little. "…ya' were goin' ta' the Akabeko…"

Chou pushed himself into a sitting position and coughed, trying desperately to clear his throat. "W-well, A-Ah **was**…b-b-but Ah got…l-lost…and th-then Ah h-heard th-the racket ya' w-were makin', and decided t-ta' go check i-it out…"

The waitress beamed in sudden understanding. "Oh! So…so ya' **were** goin'! Okay then!"

The broom-head blinked at the joy in her voice. "Wait, T-Tae…i-if Ah c-could ask m-mah own qu-question…s-since ya' asked m-meh why **Ah'm** here, c-can Ah a-ask ya' why **y-ya're** here?"

Tae sighed. "Ah s'pose…Ah was feelin' a bit put-out…and Ah wanted ta' go fer a walk…Ah didn't watch where Ah was goin'…heh heh…Ah can beh kinda spacey sometimes!" She rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment.

The broom-head got off of the ground and felt at the tender area under his left eye. (Which is where the pan hit him…tee hee…). He winced slightly. "Okay th-then, s'long as y-ya' didn't m-mean ta' come h-here…it's quite d-dangerous fer l-ladies on th-this side o' t-town…"

The waitress bounced up after him and looked at the broom-head in concern. "Ah'm sorry, Sawagejou-san, Ah really didn't see ya' there…does it hurt a lot?" Ignoring his other comments, she extended her hand to his face and gently rubbed at the pinkish mark beneath his eye.

Chou went even redder…if possible. "N-nah…It'll j-just bruise a-a bit…a-and it's not l-like it's g-gonna cause m-meh problems, 'cause A-Ah never u-use that eye a-anyways…" He coughed. "S-s-so…are w-we goin' ta' th-that restaurant p-place? F-fer…our…"

"Oh! Right…fer our…"

Neither wanted to say the "dreaded" word.

But when they did…

It was simultaneous.

"D-date…"

"Date!"

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Jasmine: (Surrounded by hearts, sparkles, and fluffy kittens) Aww…

Chou: (Hiding in random corner, blushing horribly)

Tae: (Grinning happily) Ah'm goin' on a date with Chou! YAY!

Chou: (RED)

Jasmine: Okay! This chappie was probably very confusing…but…oh well…at least it was long! Oh, by the way, I'm changing Chou's age…he's gonna be twenty-four, not twenty-six, kay? I hope that sounds better…anyways…'till next time, loyal reviewers, this is Jasmine Reinier, signing off!

"People only have hope because they cannot see Death standing behind them…"

R and R!


	4. Evil Plots And Glints Abound? Oh my!

"Well, Ah still haven't told ya' **Yummy's** story yet! (Random person: You pronounce it Yumi!) …**Yumi**, **Yummy**, they're spelt the same way!" – Chou (Outtakes)

Jasmine: (Giggling hysterically) Outtakes are **fun**!

Chou: …Damn voice actors…messin' up the lines and makin' fools o' us…

Jasmine: (On the floor in tears) S-S-Saito…s-says… "It's all about the bling-bling!" AH-HAHAHAHAHAA! (Laughing)

Chou: (Both eyes get huge) Ah'm just glad boss ain't here at the moment…

Jasmine: I wuff ya', reviewers! You guys rock! (Happy) Oh yes…the disclaimer…(Eeep…I almost forgot it!) May this pain of not owning Rurouni Kenshin cause my bodily organs to explode, and may the many river rats consume my charred flesh! WHOO!

To GreenEyedFloozy-chan: (Anger mark) Well…you know **what**, Aurore? I am **officially** going to write a fic entitled "Ways To Utterly And Completely Destroy Kuroneko-sama (In A Humorous Manner)" EAT THAT! (Maniacal laughter)

To Angel Waters-chan: Tee hee…I **do** make good pie, don't I?

To Lexi-Teniro-chan: (Evil sah-mirk) Muah-hahahahahahaa…I was planning that all along, my infamous partner-in-crime…jealousy is a dish best served with a side of revenge, ne? (Nudges) Muah-haha… (Maniacal gah-rin)

To Kiwigrl89-sama: YAY! You're back! I was afraid that I had lost my reviewers! Oh, and yes…the (Gasp) DATE is in this one! Tee hee hee...I'm going to have **fun** with this…I almost pity Broomie-chan…or…NOT! (Maniacal laughter)

To Spyoo-sama: Oh my…you have no clue at how happy your review made me! Just go and ask my pals up there! (Points) I think I instant-messaged it to all three of them…Aurore, Angel, and Lexi…but seriously! I happy-danced **all night**! (Cheerful gah-rin) And don't worry…I'd never abandon this fic! My friends wouldn't let me even if I tried…plus, I love writing about Broomie! Tee hee…it's so much fun to tease him…

Jasmine: Whew! Okies, peoples, here is the "much awaited" fourth chappie! Microsoft Word Processor, have at you! (Attacks)

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What A Flamin' Spirit – Chapter Four: Evil Plots And Glints Abound? Oh My…

(12:05 p.m.)

**-With Chou and Tae, at the front door of the Akabeko-**

"A-are y-ya' **sure** ya' wanna d-do this?"

"Yes, Sawagejou-san, Ah'm positive."

"Er…c-completely?"

"**Yes**, Sawagejou-san. Completely."

"T-totally?"

"**YES**, DAMMIT! NOW, YA' EITHER GO THROUGH THAT DOOR WILLINGLY, OR AH'LL FORCE YA' THROUGH MAHSELF!"

Chou swallowed hard and complied, hanging his head to hide the blush that was forming on his cheeks. The two had gone straight to the restaurant after their little "encounter", and the poor broom-head was having second thoughts about this "date". As Chou grudgingly pushed open the door, a little bell jingled over it and signaled his and the waitress' entry. Many pairs of eyes turned as one to look up and stare at them.

"Ah'll ask Tsubame-chan ta' take over and go get changed, 'kay? Just take a seat right over there, Sawagejou-san, and Ah'll beh back in a sec!" With that little statement, Tae left the poor broom-head to his demise.

For…the people…

**Were staring**.

And staring…

And staring…

And staring…

Chou felt like a deer caught in headlights. Er…in this case…lamplights…since the whole…Meiji thing's going on…I'll shut up now…

The broom-head broke out in a bunch of sweat drops. _There…are…so…many…eyes…_ "E-e-errrrrrrr…Ah'll just…t-take a seat…n-now…"

They continued to stare.

And many of the men…

Were gah-laring.

Poor, poor, Chou.

"Right…just…there…" The former member of the Juppongatana swallowed hard and slowly trudged over to his table, feeling the glares…er…**glaring**…into the back of his head. If he was going to survive eating in this place, he'd have to go into super-swordsman mode! He'd have to put his game face on! He'd have to grin wickedly! And…he'd have to show off all of his pretty swords! Quietly laughing evilly to himself, Chou took a seat near the table and commenced the removal of his weaponry…his numerous amounts of weaponry…sharp, pointy weaponry…muah-hahahahahahaa…

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"Tsubame-chan? Tsubame-chan, are ya' in here?" Tae yelled, stepping into the backroom of the restaurant and looking about herself for the little waitress.

"I'm over here, Tae-san!" A quiet voice called out, a grin audible in it. "I'm glad you're back! I was starting to get worried!"

Tae followed the sound of the voice, and soon came upon Tsubame at the washbasin, diligently scrubbing at some dirty dishes. The russet-haired waitress beamed at the girl. "Ah found 'im!"

"Eh…found who, Tae-san?" Tsubame asked, looking up and blinking at Tae in confusion.

"Ya' know…**him**!"

"H-him?"

"**Him**-him!"

"U-um…"

"Him!" Tae closed her left eye in an imitation of Chou.

Tsubame gasped in sudden understanding. "OH! **Him**!"

The waitress snickered. "Yes, **him**! **And** he saved meh from some ruffians, too! It was so noble…so dashin'…so heroic…and then…Ah…" Tae covered her mouth, though she wasn't able to stop the loud snort of laughter that burst through. "…A-Ah…a-accidentally…c-clonked 'im with…m-mah pan!"

"Oh, T-Tae-san, you d-didn't!" Tsubame quickly put her newest dish to the side and clutched at her stomach. "Y-you c-couldn't have!" The little waitress began to giggle, and tears started running down her face.

"A-Ah did! I-it's j-just good th-that he's got a-a…**hard head**! AH-HAHAHAHAHAA!"

(_Back in the other room, Chou sneezed violently._)

The two waitresses clutched at each other and plopped to the ground in a fit of laughter. Once she could breathe again, Tsubame squeaked and bounced up, grinning happily.

"Oh! Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh! You said I could meet him! Please let me meet him, Tae-san!"

Tae chuckled at Tsubame's enthusiasm. "Oh yes, don't ya' worry 'bout that, mah little pal, fer Ah've got quite a plot cooked up…"

There was general evil glinting in both the waitress' eyes at this statement.

Plotting is always fun…muah- hahahahahahaa…

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The glaring men were starting to get quite worried after Chou pulled out a fourth sword seemingly out of nowhere and set it down next to him, smiling almost Soujiro-like the whole time. A pile of sharp, pointy objects was now forming around the swordsman, and the men began to sweat drop in fear. The broom-head gave them a wide grin and reached behind his back to take out yet **another** weapon.

"Ya' like mah swords, guys? Heh…see, this one…" Chou picked up a random blade and unsheathed it a bit, showing off its deadly and gleaming serrated edge. "…is used ta' cut through bone. It's kinda like a saw, 'cept Ah think this'd hurt more…" The wide grin got even wider, and definitely more evil. "Why don't we try it out, eh? Any takers? Ah cert'nly could use the practice…"

The men replied with this: "…"

"Aww…izzat a no? Well, lemme show ya' 'nother then…" The broom-head shifted through the pile and came up holding his two Renbato swords. "These babies can beh locked tagether and made into a double-bladed sword. If ya'll 'r cut with it, the wounds would beh too close tagether ta' stitch up properly. Ya'd die of infection…horr'ble, painful, and ya' die slowly…now, ain't that nice?"

The men replied with this: "…" (Just imagine little sweat drops covering the backs of each and every one of their heads.)

Chou beamed cheerfully. "Ah'll take that as a yes!"

The men replied with this: "…" (Just imagine little blue lines under each and every one of their eyes.)

"So…how's 'bout Ah show ya'll mah Hakujin? Ya' see, it can-"

The glaring men had disappeared.

The broom-head looked around, disappointed. "Aww, shucks…Ah thought they were enjoyin' mah little talk…ah well…heh heh heh…" My, my, there are certainly a lot of evil glints today…

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"'Kay, Tsubame-chan, ya' understand mah plan?"

"I-I think so…are you sure about this, Tae-san?"

The waitress smirked. "Ah'm positive…**ya'll** get ta' meet 'im, and **Ah'll** have some fun o' mah own…"

Tsubame giggled at the look in Tae's eyes. "You're really going to enjoy this, aren't you, Tae-san?"

"Oh, ya' can bet yer life on it. Ah have a feelin' that this is gonna beh quite fun…"

"Okay! I'll go get the hot tea ready…" The little waitress smiled, almost skipping away in excitement.

"Right then…Ah'll go get changed…and Ah know the perfect thing ta' wear, too…tee hee…" Gasp! Another evil glint! What **is** Tae cooking up? It certainly isn't food…

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Chou yawned in boredom, sighing as he let his head fall to his chest. _Where the hell is she? Has she fergotten 'bout meh? Feh…mebbe Ah should just…leave…er somethin'… _It wasn't like it really **mattered** to him…besides…he was **supposed** to be searching for leads, not trying to improve his social life! He was a loner, after all…he didn't need women!

"U-um…"

The former member of the Juppongatana yelped in shock, jumped about five feet into the hair, and threw his head up to see a young girl standing next to him. She was nervously twisting a pad of paper between her hands, but when she saw that she had Chou's attention, brought it up to a ready position. "Hello s-sir! My n-name is Ts-Tsubame!" The girl beamed at him. "I-I'm a friend of T-Tae-san's, and sh-she asked m-me to serve y-you while sh-she's getting ready!"

The broom-head blinked. "Er…that's 'kay, miss…Ah can wait 'til Tae gets here…" _Whew…thank Kami-sama above…Ah thought she'd…fergotten…_He hadn't been **worried**, of course! Just…well…a bit…anxious!

Tsubame suddenly bent forward, studying him intently.

Chou blinked again. "Eh…somethin'…wrong, miss?"

The little waitress looked him up and down. "Hmm…"

"Er…"

"…Hmm…"

"…Er…"

"…Hmm."

"…Er."

Tsubame grinned widely and giggled. "Perfect! Just perfect!" And then…she bounced off.

To say that Chou was quite confused would be the understatement of the century.

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Tae stepped out of her room slowly and looked into the nearest mirror, scrutinizing her appearance one last time…was her hair done up right? Did this shade of green look good on her? Did the top of the kimono plunge too far? The waitress sighed. _Ah hope…Ah look good…'cause…damn, he cert'nly does…_ "'Kay Tae, breathe now…just keep yer composure, and ya'll beh fine…it's just one man…one hot, sexy, hunk o' man…but one man all in the same…" The waitress applied some last minute rouge to her lips, nodded, and headed for the door. _Well…at least Ah'll fin'lly get ta' know him better…and maybe…just maybe…_The evil glint of doom! Oh-oh, the poor broom-head certainly has something coming to him…

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"Um…'kay…that was a bit…strange…" Chou scratched at the back of his head in bewilderment. _What the **hell** wazzat 'bout? "Perfect"? Eh? Ah'm so befuddled…_

"Well…Ah'm back, Sawagejou-san…"

The broom-head once again yelped in shock, jumped about five feet into the air, and threw his head up to see none other than…Tae. Tae…in a dark forest-green kimono. Tae…in a dark forest-green kimono with a **very** low neckline. Tae…in a dark forest-green kimono with a **very** low neckline and her hair…devoid of the white handkerchief. To put it into less words…damn, she looked HOTT! (Yes, with two "T"s! I give credit to Aurore for that…) _H-how **do** these w-women keep s-sneakin' up on m-meh? Oh K-Kami-sama…what d-did Ah do t-to deserve th-this?_

Tae watched in amusement as Chou's face went from its normal color to a bright, flaming red. "What's wrong, Sawagejou-san?" The waitress bent down and sat across from him, looking at the broom-head with concern. "Do ya' want meh ta' get ya' somethin'? Are ya' sick?"

"N-n-no…Ah'm…f-fine…"

_And so is she! Admit it!_

_Go 'way, dammit! Stupid voice…_

"'Kay then…so…would ya' care ta' tell meh 'bout yerself, Sawagejou-san? Ah'm very interested ta' hear what ya' have ta' say!" Tae smiled widely at him, but then looked around at the near customer-less Akabeko. "Hey…what happ'ned ta' all the guys that were here? Ah coulda sworn…there were more…ah well…"

Chou would have gloated that it was **he** that got rid of all the creepy men, but decided against it. "Right…j-just one th-thing…ya' **r-really** don't h-have ta' c-call meh 'Sawagejou-san'…A-Ah'm not really u-used ta' it…'cause n-nobody's ever c-called meh that bafore. So…y-ya' can just call meh Ch-Chou…ya' know…i-if'n ya' w-want ta'…"

Tae squealed in delight. "'Kay then! Ah'd beh happy ta'!" She beamed gleefully. "So…Chou…" The waitress loved the way the name sounded in her mouth. "…ya' go first. Since yer not from 'round here, what're ya' doin' in Tokyo? Ya' don't have ta' tell meh if ya' don't want ta', though. Ah'm just curious."

_Tell her! Go ahead! Don't be such a wuss!_

_Go 'way! Ah refuse ta' go crazy! Ya' don't exist!_

"Well…ya' s-see…" **Could** he tell her? **Should** he tell her? Well, there's only one way to find out…

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Jasmine: Read the next chapter! Muah-hahahahahaa!

Chou: (In shock) WHAT? YA' ENDED IT THERE?

Jasmine: (Grinning) Tee hee…you people will have to review me, or else I won't update…

Chou: (Dead) But…but…but…that's not…fair…

Jasmine: (Evil sah-mirk) Oh? Do you wanna have some **fun** with Tae? Tee hee…you wanna **smooch** her, you wanna **love** her, you wanna **kiss** her…

Chou: (RED…again) GAH! SHUT UP! LEAVE MEH ALONE!

Jennie: Tee hee…anyways…I hope you people liked this chappie! The next one's gonna have the evil plot…and some nice flashbacks! That is…if you review me…oh, and if I get enough reviews…I may even put some fluff in it! WHOO! Yay for fluff!

Chou: (Crimson) Ah hate…mah life…

Jasmine: Well, 'till next time, loyal reviewers, this is Jasmine Reinier, signing off!

"People only have hope because they cannot see Death standing behind them…"

R and R!


	5. The Evil Plot Almost Unfolds!

"It's all about the bling-bling." – Saito (Outtakes)

Jasmine: (Gah-rinning)

Chou: (Sighing) …Yer back…after one **helluva** cliffhanger.

Jasmine: Aww…come on! That little cliffy was nothing! Wait until you see the later chappies…tee hee…

Chou: …Feh

Jasmine: Okies! Let's see…may this pain of not owning Rurouni Kenshin cause my body to randomly and spontaneously combust, and may the ashes be thrown into a large and dirty lake! I wuff my reviewers, but where'd everyone go? I'm sad now…

To GreenEyedFloozy-chan: …I loathe you. **I. LOATHE. YOU.** SO WHAT IF CHOU IS TALL AND HAS BLOND HAIR? THAT DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING AT ALL! (Goes off to write "WTUACDKS (IAHM)")

To Saitouu Ryuuji-sama: (Gah-rins) Thanks! I tried to make the last one kinda funny, 'cause this one's gonna have a bit of drama in it…Oh, and thank you muchly for the sneak-peak! But…YOU'RE MEAN! (Bursts into tears) IF SAITO DIES, THEN I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN! I think I know who it is, though…is it Okita?

To Lexi-Teniro-chan: (Evil gah-rin/gah-lint) Oh…you will find out soon enough, my partner-in-crime…tee hee…this should be fun…

To SoulCali508-san: Thank you! (Happy)

To Amanra-sama: (Wide eyes) OKAY, OKAY! HERE IT IS!

Jasmine: Okies, let's get this thing going…please review! I really want to improve…so…seriously, tell me if it sucks! (Well, not really, but you're free to criticize!) I just want to know if I can do anything better…and, I'm almost begging you here…please review me! Oh, and there's gonna be Japanese translations at the bottom of the page, 'cause I use a few in this…so…finally…on with the damned fic!

(Drama Alert! There will be slight drama in this chappie, and it will not have as much humor as the others! You have been warned!)

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What A Flamin' Spirit: Chapter Five – Past Horrors And The Evil Plot **Almost** Unfolds!

_Ah dunno…if Ah can do it…can Ah…trust her?_

_Just tell her, ahou! WHO CARES IF YOU CAN TRUST HER?_

"I-it's just…" Chou trailed off, nervously toying with the ripped end of his coat sleeve. Yes, his coat sleeve was **very** interesting at the moment. "…kinda…er…"

Tae smiled and tried to not show her disappointment. "Aww, that's kay, Sawage…er…Chou…Ah don't need ta' know if'n ya' don't feel comfert'ble tellin' meh!" She tilted her head to the side, but her lips curved down slightly. Chou felt like a complete and total baka. He blinked apologetically down at the waitress.

_Kuso…now Ah've gotten the gal all sad…_

_…GOOD JOB, IMBECILE!_

The broom-head sat in thought for a few seconds, trying to figure out a way to explain exactly **why** he was in Tokyo to Tae, without giving too much about his job away. _Er…mebbe…Ah could try the fast approach? Like…blurting it all out at once…yeah…that should work…_ "W-well…ya' see…Ah'mapoliceofficer-spy-thingfromKyotoandAh'vebeensenthereta'Tokyota'takedownadrug-smugglin'ringthathasbeensetup! (Translation: Ah'm a police officer-spy-thing from Kyoto and Ah've been sent here ta' Tokyo ta' take down a drug-smugglin' ring that has been set up!")

Tae blinked in confusion. "Eh…**what**…was that?"

Chou sighed. _GAH! So much fer the fast approach…er…mebbe…Ah should just…tell her? Ah mean…this feeling…why do Ah feel like…Ah can trust her? Dammit…why…why…do Ah want ta' tell her things…about meh? Things…that Ah've never shared with anyone! Why do Ah want her…ta' get ta' know meh? Ah've…never felt this way bafore…and Ah'm not so sure Ah like it…_ The broom-head sighed. It seemed that he wouldn't be able to ignore…**whatever** this was. Did…did he really want her to know? The damn woman…what was she doing to him? "So…ya' wanna know? Ya' **really**…wanna know meh? 'Cause…Ah can't say that Ah'm a very good guy…that Ah ever **was** a good guy…and…and as soon as ya' know what…Ah've done…ya'll hate meh…Ah can tell…and there'll beh no turnin' back…"

The waitress' eyes widened and she sat up abruptly, startling the poor broom-head, who almost yelped in surprise (once again). "Hate ya'? **HATE** YA'? Chou, please…Ah don't think there's anythin' ya' could say ta' make meh **hate** ya'!"

Chou bah-linked. "…There's…not?"

Tae flushed and swallowed hard, realizing her embarrassing mistake. "W-well…yeah! Ah m-mean…e-even though we jus' m-met 'n s-stuff…ya're a r-really nice g-guy, Ah can t-tell!"

"…Ah…am?"

The blush got worse. It turned into a **bah-lush**. Tee hee…poor Sekihara-chan…she resembles a tomato… "Y-yeah! And…Ah'd l-like ta' g-get ta' kn-know ya' b-better…so…" She trailed off, clasping her hands together resolutely. "Ah promise, Ah won't think any differ'nt of ya'…so…please, go on…"

"…" Chou sighed, placed his head in both of his palms, and rubbed at his temples in annoyance "Dammit, Ah dunno what yer doin' ta' meh, 'cause Ah've **never** told **anyone** this bafore…yer the first, so ya'd better listen! 'Kay? Izzat clear ta' ya'?"

The waitress gah-rinned at the broom-head happily, noticing with excitement that he was no longer blushing **or** stuttering! _Tee hee…mebbe Ah **am** gettin' somewhere after all…and then there's the plot…Ah can't wait! Ah'm sooo bad…_ "'Kay! Perfectly!"

"Ugh…sheesh…Ah take it there's no way Ah can git outta this?"

"Tee hee…sorry, bucko, but nope!"

"Damn ya'…Ah bet yer weavin' some kind o' jumon ta' git meh ta' act this way…Ah well…here it goes, Ah sp'ose…"

There was a short silence. Chou took a deep breath, and then began to speak again.

"…Ah was born and raised in Osaka fer a while when Ah was young, prob'ly…seven-ish. Mah fam'ly was very poor, so Ah had ta' work ta' help mah parents buy us food. We had many, many, hard times…and mah father was quite the drinker…jus' couldn't stay 'way from the stuff, Ah guess. He drank away a lot o' our money…and **definitely** wasn't always in the **best** o' moods, ta' put it lightly…Ah 'member that he used ta'…beat mah mother often…he screamed at her, hit her, told her that she was a worthless piece o' shit…but he'd **never** touch **meh**. Ah haven't ta' this day figured out why…mebbe it…"

Tae listened on, eyes going wider and wider as the broom-head continued.

"…was his twisted way of sayin' that he loved meh. 'Cause…he never actually told meh he did, so…Ah jus' figured…anyways, that's off the topic. Lemme see…we lived…in an old, small, dingy buildin' near the edge o' town, 'long with a few other people. It always stank…and there was never any privacy. Ah hated it there…and…Ah hated the humiliation o' havin' ta' dress in stinkin' rags, while…the other kids got nice, **clean** clothes. Ah hated the fact that Ah couldn't go ta' school 'cause we couldn't afford it…and that Ah went hungry a lot…'cause, on many occasions, Ah gave mah food ta' mah mother…who…who had constantly seemed like she was gonna die at any moment, 'cause she had always been so frail…Ah just…didn't want her ta' go…and leave meh 'lone with mah father…"

"…Ah'm so sorry, Ch-"

The broom-head cut the waitress off abruptly, oblivious to the fact that she had tried to speak. He was now completely immersed in his tale…as though he wanted to get it all over with as fast as he could. "…Ah guess mah little seven-year-old mind couldn't bare the thought. Ya' see…it was us against the werld. Meh, mah father, and mah mother. That was it…we were is'lated…mah father had been disowned bah his fam'ly a while bafore he met mah mother…and Ah don't think mah mother even had any fam'ly left, 'sides us…so…that was it. Ah took most o' the 'sponsibilities, 'cause mah father sure wasn't 'bout ta'…and…Ah was so young…the werst part is, now that Ah look back at it…" Chou hesitated, swallowing hard. "…Ah...was always in constant danger. The roads Ah traveled down…without **shoes**, mind ya'…were riddled with thieves and bandits. Men that would sooner stab ya' and leave ya' dyin' in a ditch somewhere than lookit ya'…"

"…" Tae didn't dare say a thing…she'd never been so shocked in her life. She…didn't know whether to comfort the katana-gari…or just stay quiet.

"So…yeah…then…" There was a long pause. The former member of the Juppongatana lowered his head, staring forlornly at the ground. How many years had it been since he'd even given his past a thought? And now…saying it all out loud…he didn't want Tae to hear this! He didn't need her damned pity!

"Chou…" The waitress smiled softly at the broom-head and wiped at her eyes, surprised to find liquid there. "…Ah…never would have guessed any of this…but…if'n ya' don't want ta' go on, Ah'll understand…" She reached forward and gently touched his cheek, causing him to look up in surprise. "…We all have things that we don't want ta' talk 'bout, and Ah feel bad fer makin' ya' tell meh…"

Chou blushed furiously. Was it bad that he liked her touching him like that? Was it bad that he wanted to tell her more about himself, despite the fact that his brain was screaming at him to stop? Was it bad that he was following his heart, for once? "Ah…Ah c-can go o-on…fer a-a bit l-longer…" He…ever so slowly…brought his arm up and covered Tae's small, petite hand with his own large one. She grinned happily at him, and he went an even deeper shade of red.

"'Kay then, if'n ya' feel comfert'ble 'bout it…" The waitress didn't remove her hand. The best part…though…was that Chou didn't move it, either.

He nodded and closed his eyes, as if bracing himself for what was to come next. "…Well…durin' one horr'bly muddy season, Ah couldn't find a job…and…fer 'bout a week're so…we were complet'ly broke. We had absolutely no money…and no money means no food…so…so…and…mah mother…she seemed ta' beh wastin' 'way even as the hours went bah…Ah didn't know what ta' do…Ah felt it was mah fault, in some way, 'cause Ah was the one bringin' all the money in…and Ah couldn't even do that…"

Tae's right arm started to inch forward slightly.

"…and…w-we needed f-food badly, so…mah father…he…basically…sold meh."

Tae gasped out loud, and her advancing arm stopped. "WHAT?"

Chou smirked coldly and opened both eyes to look at her. "Ya' heard meh cerrectly. Mah father…sold meh ta' 'nother family…fer some cash. That's it. Though, we **did** need the food…so Ah s'pose he had his reasons…"

_You're trying to avoid the inevitable…I can tell…_

_Shut up! Ah'll tell her! Just not yet…_

"H-he…**SOLD** YA'?" How could a father **do that**? How could…he have sold his own **son**?

"Yup. Ah lived with that other family fer a while…never really got ta' know 'um, though…but that's a story fer 'nother time…what…what Ah really wanna tell ya'…well, not **really**…but Ah gotta…"

_Tell her! You have to! It's now or never, bucko! She has to know…that you…_

Yeah, yeah, Ah get it…Ah have ta' tell her…but that doesn't make it any easier… 

Tae sniffed, and her arm started to move again. Can anyone say…surprise glomp? You bet!

"Do ya'…'member…Sh-Shishio Makoto? A-and…his…J-Juppon…Juppongatana?"

The waitress blinked. "Those crazy freaks that tried ta' take over Japan? How **could** Ah ferget?"

Ouch. That had to **sting**!

"Y-yeah…crazy…heh heh…well…er…does the name, "Sword-Hunter Chou" ring a bell ta' ya'?"

The waitress blinked and tilted her head, thinking hard. "Hmm? Sword-Hunter Chou?" _Sword-Hunter Chou…Ah've heard that before…but from where? Wait a second…_ Tae blinked, and her eyes widened in sudden understanding. She looked at the pile of swords by Chou's side. "Y-Y-Y…Y-Ya'…ya're…"

Chou threw himself forward and clamped his hand over her mouth, stifling the scream that had been forming. "W-WAIT! Ah won't hurt ya', Ah promise! Ah haven't yet, have Ah? Don't scream…please?" He waited for her to nod her head before he slowly let go. "…Sorry fer that…it's just…ya' know…" The sword-hunter blushed and rubbed the back of his head, ashamed at what he had done.

Tae worked hard to keep her composure. _One o' the Juppongatana? Jus' what have Ah gotten mahself inta? Damn…he's still hot, though…and…he **hasn't** hurt meh at all…so…Ah s'pose Ah can trust 'im…Ah hope Ah'm not bein' naïve…'cause this is a **huge** risk…_ "…All r-right…Ah b'lieve ya'…so…er…"

"Oh, Ah'm not part o' Shishio's Ten Swords no more, if'n that's what yer thinkin'….Ah'm actually a cop, now…heh heh…go figure…" The broom-head sweat dropped.

"A…cop? **Izzat** why yer in Tokyo?"

Chou sighed. "…Yup, that's it…Ah'm assigned to take down a drug-smugglin' ring, but none o' the townspeople have any leads fer meh…**ya'** don't happen ta' know anythin', do ya'?"

Tae was just about to answer, but stopped herself when she saw Tsubame slowly approaching the table, carrying two cups of steaming hot tea and their lunch. "Well, Ah'll have ta' get back ta' ya' on that one, Chou, 'cause here's our food!"

The sword-hunter's face visibly perked up. "F-food?" His stomach gave a huge growl. When was the last time he'd had food? It seemed like FOREVER… "Heh…and here Ah thought food was a myth! 'Kay then, lunch ferst, talk later…"

The waitress mentally grinned and rubbed her hands together eagerly. _And now's the time fer mah plan…this **shall** beh fun **indeed**…_ The evil glint that followed went unnoticed by Chou, who would soon have to face an extremely embarrassing situation that he would remember for the rest of his life…

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Jasmine: Ugh…I haven't updated in awhile…

Chou: …Good…nobody likes this fic 'nyways…

Jasmine: (Holds up Saito plushie) AT LEAST I HAVE THIS!

Chou: (Wide eyes) WHAT IN SEVEN HELLS **IZZAT**?

Jasmine: (Huggles it) It's my Saito plushie! Isn't he KAWAII? I got him from Samuraiduck27-sama! Now all I need is a Chou plushie, and my life shall be complete…

Chou: …(Goes off to corner and barfs)

Jasmine: (Sweat drops) ANYways, please review and tell me what you think! 'Till next time, loyal reviewers, this is Jasmine Reinier…signing off!

"People only have hope…because they cannot see Death standing behind them."

R and R!

Japanese Words:

**Jumon**: Magic spell  
**Kuso**: Shit  
**Juppongatana**: Ten Swords  
**Ahou**: Fool/Idiot  
**Baka**: Idiot  
**Katana-gari**: Sword-hunter 


	6. The Hot Tea Incident Of Doom!

"We fear that which we cannot see." – Bleach (Strawberry and the Soul Reaper)

Jasmine: I HAVE PLUSHIES! WHOO! (Huggles the multitude of plushies) I WUFF YOU GUYS! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!  
Chou: …Ya'…are so strange… (Eyeing the life-size Chou plushie with disdain)  
Jasmine: Oh, and Tae? You can have this one… (Grabs Chou and shoves him at the waitress) Huggle him every night, kay? (Sinister gah-rin)  
Tae: (Evil gah-lint) Will do, Jazz-chan… (Latches on to poor Chou)  
Chou: H-HEY! AH AIN'T THAT PLUSHIE-THING! AH'M THE **REAL** CHOU!  
Tae: (Takes out sedative) Tee hee…Ah know…  
Chou: (Eyes get HUGE) Eh-heh heh heh? T-Tae? Wh-what're ya' doin' w-with that? E-ER…T-TAE? GAAAAAAAAAH! SOMEONE, HEEEEEEELP!  
Tae: (Laughs wickedly and pokes Chou with the sedative) Thank ya' muchly, Jazz-chan!  
Chou: Eeeeeeeeeh…perty…swirly…clouds… (Passes out)  
Jasmine: (Sweat drop) Eh-heh…no prob, Tae-chan…I almost pity the poor Katana-gari…BUT AT LEAST I HAVE THIS! (Squeezes the life-size Chou plushie) Oh, and if I owned Rurouni Kenshin, do you actually think Himura Kenshin would be the main character?  
Chou plushie: (Grins happily) Thank ya', wonderful reviewers! Ya' guys're the reason Jazzy-chan is still writin'! Here's ta' ya'!

To GreenEyedFloozy-chan: Okay, okay, so you rock… (Huggles plushies)  
To Amanra-sama: (Laughing) THANK YOU SO MUCH! He's a lot more agreeable than the real thing…  
To SoulCali508-sama: (Blushes at the praise) Will do! Thanks for the motivation! (I REALLY need it…stupid school…)  
To Kiwigrl89-sama: Whoo! I'm glad you're back! Yeah, computers suck…they're stupid, bug-filled technological devices that I can't live without… (Sigh)  
To Saitouu-Ryuuji-sama: Don't worry! Saito'll **definitely** be in it eventually…at some point in time… (Sweat drops) I mean, he's my favorite character…he'll show up! Oh, and you're still a meanie, by the way… (Glares)  
To Ladie Galadriel-sama: YES! I shall make Chou and Tae a canon pairing! I WILL DO IT! (Maniacal laughter) I'll get all my friends to write fics on them! Oh, thank you so much, by the way…I worked really hard on their accents, and it's nice to know that they sound okay… (Kisses Chou ((who turns bright red)) and hugs Tae) I absolutely adore alternate pairings! (Saito/Misao, anyone? Che…I'm strange…) Heh…  
To Lexi-Teniro-chan: WHOO-HOO! "Sing it, Ann-drew! Dum, diddy, dum, dum, dum!" (Snort) GO OKLAHOMA!  
To JuppongatanaGurl: Whoo! Another reviewer! Thank you, and I hope you keep reading!

Tae: (Drags Chou off to who knows where)  
Jasmine: (Sweat drops) Right then…to the fic!

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What A Flamin' Spirit: Chapter 6 - The Hot Tea Incident…Of Doom!

(Tae's Room)

Sawagejou Chou had never felt so embarrassed in his life, and the blush that was currently adorning his face stretched all the way up to the blond roots of his broom-like hair. He studied Tae's room with detachment, trying desperately to ignore the waitress entirely, but was managing to fail despite his stubbornness. On the back wall, a large window clad with green curtains took up most of the space, and was shut firmly against the raging cold of winter. Tae's futon lay primly underneath the window, and a comfortable-looking quilt was strewn across it haphazardly. A little lantern lay next to the futon, and beside it sat a book. All in all, it was a pretty cozy room, but Chou wasn't feeling relaxed at the moment. Here he was, standing in Tae's room, shirtless. And what was the waitress doing, you ask? Why, she was applying burn-cream to the poor Katana-gari's chest. And why was she doing this, you ask? Well, you're about to find out…

(Flashback ((The front of the restaurant))

"Wow, Tae…this stuff's really good!"

The waitress smiled at the broom-head across the table from her, sweat dropping slightly at what she saw. "Eh-heh…er…Chou? How long has it been since ya've eaten somethin'?" She eyed the six empty bowls piled up around them in disbelief, and the sweat drop grew even bigger.

The Katana-gari stopped his frantic much-fest and set the half-done seventh bowl in his lap. "Hmm…'bout…" There was a pause. "Three and a half days, give 'er take a day 'er two…" Another pause. And then the munch-fest began again.

Tae stared at him, her mouth gaping in shock. "Th-three days? EH? Jeese, Chou! Ya' shouldn't go so long without- …ya' aren't even lis'nin' ta' meh, are ya'?" The waitress placed her hands on her hips and scowled at the broom-head.

A few chewing noises answered her.

Tae sighed in exasperation. "Chou, if ya' go on eatin' like that, ya're gonna pop."

Munch…munch…munch...

"Ugh…men…they're all alike…just walkin' stomachs, if'n ya' ask meh…" The waitress leaned her head down upon her right hand and rolled her eyes. _Hmm…almost time fer mah plan…Ah cain't back outta it now…_ She laughed quietly (or evilly, depending on how you look at it) to herself. _Damn, Ah'm so mean…_

Chou finished his last bowl and gently set it down on the table, looking at the waitress out of the corner of his eye with a bit of suspicion. Was she planning something? There was a definite air of plotting about her…but the broom-head couldn't figure out what it was. _Eh…mebbe Ah'm jus' bein' paranoid…she **has** been nice ta' meh, after all…not many women woulda let meh stay here after learnin' 'bout what Ah used ta' beh…_

The Katana-Gari sighed softly and gazed out one of the many windows, losing himself in thought amidst the piles of sparkling snow. It…felt nice…to just sit and talk with someone. He hadn't done it in so long…after all, when he was with the Juppongatana, they were about the only people he could **really** have a conversation (of sorts) with. Nobody else ever wanted anything to do with him… But the Ten Swords hadn't been what you would call a "loving family"…no, far from one. Usui had always been mean and never wanted to talk, Kamatari had talked **too** much, Iwanbo had been exceedingly idiotic to chat with, Henya had always glared at him, Yumi would only flirt and make him blush, Houji was a complete and total ass, Saizuchi was really scary, Fuji was too huge, Anji's long speeches had always been rather annoying, and Soujiro had smiled **way** too much for the broom-head's liking. He hadn't dared to talk to Shishio alone…the very thought sent shivers down his spine. All in all, there wasn't a "normal" conversation to be had among the Juppongatana, but it had been all he could get. He sighed again, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Still, he couldn't help but miss the Ten Swords just a little bit…at least things were interesting while he was with them. _…Why the hell is mah life so borin', now? Mebbe it's 'cause o' this damn cop-job…Ah never git ta' do 'nothin' fun…ack…Ah almost regret ever takin' the boss on his offer…_

The waitress's voice abruptly startled Chou out of his thoughts, but he managed to hide his squeak of surprise. The brunette looked over at Tsubame, who was taking a customer's order on the other side of the room. "Oh, Tsubame-chan, could ya' please git meh some more tea?" Tae grinned dazzlingly, her concealed wink going unnoticed by a certain Katana-gari. The little waitress smiled back happily and nodded.

Tsubame clutched the small notepad in her hands nervously. "Coming right up, Tae-san!" She apologized to the customer she had been talking to, turned around, and disappeared quietly into the kitchen without a backwards glance…almost as if she were on a mission, or something…

…_But…then again…if Ah hadn't…Ah'd never o' met this woman…this…Sekihara Tae…Ah don't know what's so great 'bout that…but…_ The Katana-gari looked up at the said woman again, and, when she finally noticed his eye (yes, EYE) upon her, beamed at him. _…Ah feel…diff'ernt…'round her…HEY! WAIT! That ain't a good reason! MAH REASON WAS TA' GIT OUTTA JAIL, THAT'S IT! ACK! MY MIND HAS TURNED AGAINST MEH! DAMN YA', YA' EVIL LITTLE VOICE! WHO CARES 'BOUT TAE, 'NYWAYS?_

Meanwhile, Tsubame had returned with the tea and was strolling back over to the couple, faster than she should have been with a boiling liquid like that. "Here you go, Tae-san, it's piping hot-"

And then it happened

The unthinkable.

That which was previously unthought. (A/n: Only Lexi and Aurore are gonna get this…oh, and unthought is not a word.)

That which is something very painful and can make grown men weep like little itty-bitty babies.

Tsubame "tripped" over a "loose floorboard", sending the teacup that had once been in her hands into the air. It arched once, and then landed….

…right in the opening of Chou's jacket.

There was a moment of silence.

…A long, long moment of pure and utter silence.

Tae's first thought was, _Damn, that girl has good aim!_ And her second thought was, _Whoa…Ah didn't know a person could turn that color… _

Poor, poor Chou-chan…

(End Flashback)

The broom-head sighed. _Women…they're all out ta' kill meh…Ah swear…and she planned this all 'long! Dammit, Ah should o' been more careful when Ah sensed that all wasn't right with her…but Ah never even s'pected she'd do somethin' like **this**! And bringin' little Tsu-chan inta it, too! Che…this ain't right…_

The waitress rubbed in some more of the burn-cream and grinned, almost like she had sensed the broom-head's thoughts. "Well, Ah'm nearly done, Chou, but yer gonna have ta' take off this belt-like thing…" Tae wiped at her forehead with one hand and straightened, smiling up innocently at the Katana-gari. "…that is, if'n yer burned under it, too…"

_Shit, yes, it burns! It burns like hell, woman, and it's all yer fault! But…A-Ah ain't gonna take off mah belt, no sir! There's no way in hell ya're gonna make meh do that!_ The mere thought made him blush. "Nah, A-Ah'm fahn…really, T-Tae, Ah'm a-all good, now…"

The waitress scoffed and tapped the wide iron belt indignantly. "No ya'ren't, Ah can tell. Now, take it off." Her tone offered no other choice in the matter, but the broom-head wasn't about to give up so easily.

"Ah said that Ah was all right…and Ah **am**! Why would Ah lie ta' ya'?" _Heh…beat that…_

Tae merely crossed her arms and glared at him, pouting slightly. _Heh…easy…ya'll have ta' try harder 'en that, Chou…_

_Dammit…she's good…_ "…Okay, fahn then! Ah'll take the damned thing off! Sheesh…ya're like mah freakin' mother, 'er somethin'!" Chou, now slightly irritated, grabbed at the edge of his belt and tugged furiously.

It didn't budge.

_Shit…stupid thing…why has it chosen now ta' beh difficult?_ He pulled harder, but only ended up angering the burns adorning his chest, causing him to wince in pain. _Kuso…_

A small hand came out of nowhere and covered the one on his belt, triggering the Katana-gari to look up in shock. "If'n yer havin' trouble, let meh do it," Tae whispered, her eyes sparkling with malicious glee. "After all, this **is** partially mah fault, as Ah suspect ya've figured out…"

Chou could do nothing but gape at her and blush. _Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit…too close…oh mah…holy shit…eep…holy shit…_

The waitress smiled warmly, albeit a bit evilly. "Okay, lemme find that clasp…" She ran her hands along the top of the belt, causing the poor Katana-gari to squirm uncomfortably. Tae's fingers roamed around the belt leisurely, purposely taking as long as they could to find what they were looking for. When she finally **did** discover the nasty little clasp, the broom-head nearly had a nervous breakdown right then and there.

"U-um…T-Tae…" Chou's voice came out slightly thicker than usual. "…y-ya' really d-don't have t-ta' do this…A-Ah'll beh j-jus' fahn…"

Tae, ignoring him, unsnapped the clasp. The belt hit the floor a second later with a resolute bang. "Heh, too late, Chou…now, lemme jus' git the cream…" She tried to avoid staring, but just couldn't hold her wandering eyes back. _Damn…he's ripped! Really, really muscular…eh-heh…mus' beh 'cause o' all the swords he carries with 'im…mmm…hot damn…_

The Katana-gari's right eye twitched when Tae held up the burn-cream triumphantly. _This woman…is gonna beh…the death o' meh…_

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Jasmine: And there we are…chappie six! I hope you guys liked it! Well…I don't have much to say this chappie…  
Chou plushie: (Grins happily) Yeah, 'cause Jazzy-chan's really, really sorry fer this bein' so late, right?  
Jasmine: (Sigh) Yes, yes I am…I hope ya'll can forgive me…oh, and I personally thank Lexi for helping me write this chappie...even if it was unintentional!  
Chou plushie: She's also a bit scared that she's started sayin', "ya'll"…  
Jasmine: (Deadpan) Yes…that is **very** scary…damn you, Chou and Tae…I blame you for your baka accents…  
Chou plushie: Well, 'till next time, loyal reviewers, this is Sawagejou –  
Jasmine: HEY! Those are MY lines! Ahem…well, 'till next time, loyal reviewers, this is Jasmine Reinier, signing off!

"People only have hope…because they cannot see Death standing behind them…"

R and R!


	7. The Calm Before The Storm?

"Love your enemies…it confuses them!" – Unknown

Jasmine: (Gah-rinning) Hiya all, and welcome to the amazing seventh chappie of What A Flamin' Spirit! Here is your host, Sawagejou Chou! (Clapping)  
(Moment of silence)  
Jasmine: Shit…Where the HELL did he go? I'll bet Tae still has him…ah well…Okay! Here's your temporary host, Saito Hajime! (Clap clap)  
Saito: …? (Blink blink) …Why the hell am I here…?  
Jasmine: (Sweat drops) 'Cause Chou can't come to the phone right now, so please leave a message after the beep, bye! (Takes off)  
Saito: …(Pushes the answering machine button)  
Answering Machine: If I owned Rurouni Kenshin, all the guys would wear tight muscle shirts and black leather pants! ('Cept Raijuta…and Shishio…and Iwanbo…ANYways…) But, sadly, I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, so I shall never get to see my dream come true…(SIGH)  
Saito: …Well…I presume I'm that I am expected to tell all you reviewers thank you…(Lights up a cigarette) …But I'm not going to. Hn…if you have a problem with that, either deal with it yourself, or deal with it on the end of my katana. Your choice.

To Amanra-sama: Yeah, yeah, Jasmine likes that thing a lot. It's too bad…I'd enjoy Aku. Soku. Zan-ing it. Oh, and the Ahou deserved that…it's his own fault that he let his guard down.  
To Ladie Galadriel-sama: Hn. Jasmine has a tendency to use words that don't exist. Take "kayko", for instance. In her mind, that means, "okay". Don't ask.  
To GreenEyedFloozy-chan: I'm not even going to comment on this one…all I can say is: check yourself into a hospital, pronto. (Takes out another cigarette and lights it)  
To Lexi-Teniro-chan: "Precious"? Hn. The Ahou's idiotic actions are everything **but** precious.  
To Kiwigrl89-sama: Be warned. Things will get worse here on in. You should have escaped while you still had the chance. (Takes a puff of the cig) Oh, and please don't make Jasmine that excited again…when she saw your review, she nearly snapped one of my katanas.  
To JuppongatanaGurl: Run away. Run **far** away.

Saito: Okay, I'm done. Just read the stupid chapter so I can get out of here.

P.S.: I'll be using the word okashira in this...it means "leader", or "boss", just like in the Oniwabanshu episodes…but not the same person, of course!

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What A Flamin' Spirit: Chapter 7 – The Calm Before The Storm?

(With Tae, 9:00 pm)

Sekihara Tae was, horribly, indescribably lonely. It was closing time at the Akabeko, and she was utterly alone…no customers, no Chou, no Tsubame…no one. It had been a few hours since the Katana-gari had left, and she'd felt strange ever since…almost…like something was missing. Now, even the little waitress had gone home. It just wasn't fair. Sure, Tae had lived on her own for a long time, but…but at the moment…she didn't like it. Why? Why was there this sudden change in her mood? Solitude had been her thing for a while…she had always loved being by herself…

"What's wrong with meh? Ah'm jus' bein' silly, is all…yeah, that's it…Ah'll jus' go inside an' read fer a bit…mebbe that'll make meh feel better…" It was getting cold, anyway. Tae closed her eyes and leaned back against the doorframe of the Akabeko, wondering the reason for the sudden quietness in the frigid air. Why was she outside, in the first place? Ah yes, she had seen Tsu-chan off…that was it…

She sighed, wincing slightly as she saw her misty breath. Damn, it was freezing…there were a numerous amount of snow banks covering the ground…and, by the look of the darkened, gray sky, it seemed that more of the nasty white stuff was to come. _Ah hope…Chou hasn't gotten lost again…that…idiot…_ Tae grinned and forced down the laughter that threatened to explode out of her. The waitress would forever remember this day…oh, damn, was it memorable…

…The broom-head was certainly going to remember it, that she was sure of. The look on his face had been absolutely priceless…

Tae was startled out of her thoughts by a jarringly loud clanging noise, followed by a thump. She blinked. "The hell…? Hey, is someone there? Hello?" The waitress walked a few feet away from the wooden door and peered around the corner of the restaurant, down one of the murky alleys. "…Hello?" There was definitely some freaky vibes emanating from that alleyway…**that** the waitress was sure of. She reached into the front of her uniform and pulled out her trusty pan. "Please, if someone's there, come out…if'n ya' need some help, Ah'll help ya'…" Sure, not the smartest thing in the world to do, but hey, Tae wasn't afraid…she was the daughter of Sekihara Mokushi, after all!

That all changed when red eyes suddenly appeared out of the gloom, glaring at her with an almost animalistic intensity. She sucked in a frightened breath as they moved closer…slowly, ever so slowly. The waitress backed up and tightened her hold on the pan, desperate to keep away the numbing terror that threatened to engulf her. There was no time to be afraid…fear caused you to slip up, to do stupid things. Tae wouldn't let herself be overwhelmed by something as trivial as that. The waitress glared determinedly into those disturbing eyes…into their flatness, their dullness…their deadness. They were lifeless eyes, and as scarlet and cold as dried blood.

Then, suddenly, they were right in her face. Tae felt brawny arms wrap themselves around her slim throat, choking her, cutting off her air. She barely had time to scream before wide, strong hands covered her mouth…hands that were calloused and rough…swordsman's hands. She squeaked and dug her nails into the arms that were holding her, furiously trying to get away…knowing that she **had** to get away no matter what the cost.

"Foolish little wench…stop struggling…" A man's barely discernable voice hissed out, and Tae heard the sound of metal-on-metal. He had a sword…or a knife. It didn't matter…both would be able to kill her…

…Both could cause her untimely demise…

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(With Tsubame, 9:37 pm)

Sanjo Tsubame swallowed hard and backed up a few more feet, hitting the wet, slimy alley wall behind her with a final-sounding thump. The poor girl had never felt so frightened in her life…

"Come on, girlie, what're you 'fraid of? We're not gonna hurt ya'…much." Short, nauseating laughter followed that statement. Tsubame felt sick to her stomach.

The little waitress's eyes widened, and she struggled to get her voice to work. She coughed a few times before words would come. "…N-no…please…d-don't hurt me…p-please…" Tsubame begged, trying her best to back-peddle as far away from her pursuers as possible. What were they going to do to her? Surely there was no reason for them to be doing this…

She was surrounded…with no escape…none at all. Three men…**three**…had cornered her in an alleyway. The little waitress had ran for all that she was worth, but…it hadn't been enough…and…and now…

What were they going to do to her?

The man on the left smirked at the girl and licked his lips, displaying his misshapen teeth to the general public. "…Well, I guess if the Okashira wants ya', then we have ta' get ya'…though, I don't see why the Okashira would want a little girl like you," More laughter. Tsubame wanted to throw up. Preferably on their feet. "There don't seem to be much use to ya'!"

The little waitress searched desperately for a way out of this mess, all the while thinking about what Tae had told her to do if she ever got into a bad situation. Was it kick, then run? Or scream, slap, and run? Shoot…if only she could remember where to kick…

"…Okay, this is getting boring…can we just grab the stupid wench and go? I'm starving…" The man to the right murmured, managing to look extremely uninterested and uncaring despite the situation. He ran his hand through his disheveled, oily black hair, causing it to stick up more than usual.

The tall guy standing in-between the two crossed his arms and glared down at his companion with gray, sparkling eyes. "…You take all the amusement outta these jobs, Kyoei! You're no fun at all!"

Kyoei shrugged, still not giving much of a damn. "…I'm not sick, like you two. I don't enjoy scaring little girls half to death for my enjoyment." He darted forward and grabbed at Tsubame, managing to latch his hand around her upper arm. Ignoring her squeal of startled pain, he proceeded to drag her bodily back to the entrance of the alleyway. "…Now, if you two blundering oafs are done with your idiocy, we can bring her with us and get back to the base before the night is over with." He mentally sighed and counted down from ten.

Tsubame struggled wildly, but to no avail. Kyoei was too strong for her… "P-please…please let m-me go…please…" Tears began to flow down her face. "P-please…wh-why are you d-doing this?" She dug her heels into the ground, trying unsuccessfully to slow her captor down. Yes…she had to kick first…that's what Tae had said…

But where? Where did she have to kick him?

The men that had been left behind were completely baffled for a second, before realizing what Kyoei's words had actually meant. Boy, they are stupid, ne?

"…Fumeiyo, did he call us what I think he called us?"

"…Yeah, Janen, I think he did…"

There was a long silence.

"KYOEI, YOU BASTARD!"

"GET BACK HERE, KYOEI!"

And then the sound of rapid, angry footfalls on stone.

The said man rolled his eyes and tightened his grip upon Tsubame, once again ignoring her pained yelp. "You morons finally got it, eh? Didn't take you as long as I thought it did, though…I only got to eight this time," he sighed, shrugging slightly. He looked up at the sky. "Dear Kami, what did I ever do to deserve having to work with these brainless idiots? The world may never know…"

Fumeiyo bared his crooked teeth at Kyoei's dark, retreating form. "GET BACK HERE, YA' COWARD! I'LL KILL YOU!"

"As if you could, imbecile…as if you could." The sarcasm ran thick.

To say that Tsubame was getting extremely dubious as to the sanity of her captors was a huge underestimation.

Well, insane or not, that did not stop her from doing what she could to get away. She hoped, **prayed**, that she would hit the guy in the correct spot.

Without hesitation, the little waitress brought her knee up…

…And slammed Kyoei **right** in the crotch with it.

**Let us pause to allow all the guys in the audience to squirm.**

Kenshin cringed, oro-ing sympathetically. Sano cringed, mentally happy that he hadn't been the victim of such a brutal attack. Saito cringed, twitching slightly. Katsu cringed, wishing that Kyoei were a patriot. Chou cringed, wondering exactly **where** Tsu had learned how to do that in the first place. In hell, Shishio cringed, knowing fully well the pain that Kyoei was going through. Every guy in the world cringed and edged away from their wives and girlfriends slowly, not liking the scary glints in their eyes…

…Okay, enough of that, back to the fic.

The man made a strange, half strangled, half extreme-pain sound in the back of his throat. He let go of Tsubame's arm, clutched at his now wounded manhood, and crumpled to the dirty stone below, whimpering softly.

The little waitress stared down at the quivering mass that was Kyoei, shocked at two things: what she had done…and his reaction to it. "…W-well…that a-actually worked…g-good thing…T-Tae-san told m-me what to d-do…" She decided to think about thanking Tae later, for she could hear the other men swiftly approaching. What to do? It was so dark outside; Tsubame could barely see six feet in front of her face! Oh, what was she going to do? Run…yes, that was the only thing to do now…run away…

And, without further thought, she took off down the long, narrow alley, yelping every time she blindly stumbled over rocks and holes or slipped on ice. She just needed to get as far away as possible…just needed-

Tsubame abruptly slammed into something hard and bounced off of it, screaming as she tumbled towards the unforgiving, cold ground. The thing she had hit cursed and grabbed her, successfully keeping the poor little waitress from smashing her head into the hard-packed snow.

"Hey! What the hell? Are ya' okay, girl? Ah hope Ah didn't hurtcha…"

It took Tsubame a few seconds to steady herself, and even longer to recognize the familiar Konsai drawl. "S-Sawagejou-san? Sawagejou-san, it's y-you!" She launched herself at the broom-head and hugged him fiercely. "P-please help m-me! Th-there are men after me and I don't know why and they were trying to take me somewhere and oh you must help please help me…" She babbled on and on, but she was so relieved that she didn't care.

Chou blinked down at the black-haired waitress in surprise, getting a bit confused at her words. "…Tsu-chan? **Eh**? What's goin' on, here? Men? Wha'?"

The footsteps stopped unexpectedly. "HEY! Kyoei? KYOEI? Janen, the girlie's gone!"

"SHIT! That little BITCH!" Fury was evident in both voices, and the little waitress shivered with dread.

The Katana-gari threw his head up, bright green eye narrowing in sudden understanding. Tsubame had been attacked! Damn…it was a good thing that he'd gotten lost and had accidentally wandered down this way… "Ah…oh, Ah git it, now. Tsu-chan, git behind meh…"

Tsubame readily complied. She edged around him and clutched nervously at the back of his worn red jacket. "…Wh-what…what a-are you going to d-do?" Was he going to kill them? His swords hadn't gone unnoticed by her, either…they all looked as though they had been used a numerous amount of times. Tsubame wasn't one that liked to see blood, though…

Chou turned his head and grinned companionably at her. "Eh, course not! Ah'm gonna need 'um fer questionin', now won' Ah?" He winked. "…But that won't stop meh from causin' some bodily harm…they'll git what's comin' ta' 'um fer tryin' ta' hurt one o' mah little pals!" He laughed and drew a katana from his belt, sheath and all. "Git on home, Tsu-chan, and leave 'um ta' meh, 'kay? Run home…lock yer doors…don' let no one inside, all right? Can ya' do that?"

What? He wanted her to leave him there, alone? She supposed that she wouldn't be able to help him at all if she did stay, but still… "Y-yes, Sawagejou-san, I-I can d-do that…" The little waitress nodded for emphasis, even though she still had some misgivings. "Just…just stay s-safe, okay?"

The Katana-gari stared, somewhat shocked. "Erm…'k-kay…Ah can do that…" Did she actually care if he got hurt or not? Well…this was a strange feeling… "Yeah, Ah'll beh fahn, Tsu! Now, go on and git…Tae would have mah head if'n Ah were ta' let somethin' happen ta' ya'!" He waved his arm for dramatic highlighting. "Go on."

"O-okay…be careful." The little waitress let go of the jacket and fled into the night, only glancing back once to wish luck tothe lone, broom-headed figure in the darkness. _Stay safe...for Tae-san's sake…_

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(With Chou, 10:04 pm)

Sawagejou Chou smirked and got into the Gatotsu stance, waiting for his intended victims to show themselves. He spread his right hand over the end of the curved sheath and tensed his left arm, making sure that he was absolutely ready for any kind of assault. Attack a defenseless little girl, would they? Well, he'd just have to explain to them _kindly_ that people do not do such things…

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(With Kenshin, 10:05 pm)

Across town at the Kamiya Dojo, Himura Kenshin stepped out into the dark, cool winter air and immediately stiffened up. There was a hissing noise as he drew his sakabato from its metal sheath and held it out in front of him defensively. He watched with detachment as it glistened silver in the brilliant moonlight. _All is not right tonight, that it is not…something…something is lurking in the darkness… _Yes, things had definitely been set into motion. Exactly what kind of things…Kenshin could only speculate.

All he knew was that he had to protect Kaoru and anyone else from whatever was happening, no matter the cost.

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Jasmine: (Poofs back in) Whoa…this…was a helluva long chappie…  
Saito: (Cigarette-ness) …That's all fine and grand, but may I go now?  
Jasmine: Hell, no! Chou isn't back yet, and I have nobody else to talk to! So, you're staying! (Sticks out tongue)  
Saito: …What happened to that plushie thing?  
Jasmine: (Sweat drops) …Something…  
Saito: …Flame her, people. Flame her to the bowels of hell. PLEASE.  
Jasmine: HEY! You big meanie! Well, you're just a crotchety old man, anyways! FEH  
Saito: (Anger mark) …Old…(Glares)…man?  
Jasmine: Yeah! You got somethin' to say about that, GRANDPA?  
Saito: …Actually, yes.  
Jasmine: (Sah-mirks) And that is…?  
Saito: (Draws katana) Aku. Soku. Zan.  
Jasmine: (Sweat drops) Eh-heh…well…er…hopefully 'till next time, loyal reviewers, this is Jasmine Reinier, signing off…  
Saito: …for the last time

"People only have hope…because they cannot see Death standing behind them…"

R and R!

Japanese Words:

Aku. Soku. Zan.: Swift Death To Evil  
Kyoei: Vanity  
Fumeiyo: Dishonor  
Janen: Vicious Mind  
Chou: Butterfly (NOT KIDDING, EITHER!)  
Kenshin: Devotion/Sword Heart


	8. Crimson Colored Snow

"Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death." - Harold Wilson (1916-1995)

Jasmine: Well hello again, my reviewers, and welcome to another chappie of What A Flamin' Spirit!  
Saito: …I hate…you all… (Tied to a chair)  
Jasmine: (Grins) Wolfie-chan and I are here to respond to ya'll, so here we go! Oh, and by the way…I'm changing the genre of this fic. It's not going to be romance/humor, anymore…it's going to be romance/general. Another thing, watch out…there's blood and gore in this chappie. Now, Wolfie-chan, respond to my lovely reviewers!  
Saito: …Feh…

To Kiwigrl89-sama: …You sadistic girl… (Twitches)  
To GreenEyedFloozy-chan: Where the hell did you get that crazy idea? Mental institute…don't forget what I said last time…  
To Lexi-Teniro-chan: "Go with Saito, even though he's old."? …I AM NOT OLD! And…WHAT THE HELL? NO WAY!  
To JuppongatanaGurl-sama: Umm… (Twitches) …I guess…I should…thank you?  
To GamerElite-sama: …Would you happen to be SoulCali508? Oh, and Jasmine is very flattered. …Thank you…  
To Amanra-sama: …Poor Ahou. He has no fan girls, anyway. Oh yay, another one to add to my group. It just proves how much better I am than the Battosai. And…YOU WOULDN'T DARE!

Jasmine: YAY! I love you guys! I hope you enjoy this blood-filled chappie! It isn't for the faint of heart!  
Saito: …I despise you.

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What A Flamin' Spirit: Chapter 8 - Crimson-Colored Snow

(With Tae, 9:25 pm)

_A…knife? Dear Kami-sama above…not a knife…please, no…Ah cain't dah here…not now…_

"Stop struggling, dammit!" The voice sounded young, albeit extremely raspy. The man didn't appear to be much older than Tae herself, from what she could see. Not that she was paying much attention to that, at the moment…

The pan dropped from her hands and to the icy ground with a resounding clang as she started to fight back with a vengeance. Her long nails dug deeper into the strong, brawny arms, causing streaks of blood to appear. She bit down hard into the hand and refused to let go.

The man growled, threw her from him, and viciously struck out with the small tanto.

Tae could see the streak of silver from the knife before it hit her. The blade sliced down the inside of her left arm, and she couldn't help the scream of agony that followed.

And then, in the blink of an eye, the man was gone. There wasn't even the sound of footsteps running away. He was…just...gone…

The waitress blinked and sank to the cold, wet ground, her breathing uneven and quick. _What…the hell…jus' happened? _She gripped her injured arm with her right hand and attempted to stop the relentless gush of blood. It flowed through her fingers in a sluggish stream, staining them crimson. Realizing that she wasn't helping any by doing this, she let go with a wince and wiped her sticky hand on the bottom of her kimono. _Dammit…what do Ah do, now? Oh! Ah know… _Tae reached up and plucked the white handkerchief out of her hair. "This should do the trick…at least, fer the moment..." She gently folded it in half and slowly wrapped it around the wound, being careful to not tie it too tight. "There! That should beh okay…Ah'll have ta' wash it out later, 'o course." Yeah, she was talking to herself…but hell…she had just been attacked by a freaky guy, gotten her arm sliced up, and had been scared half to death. Wouldn't you be talking to yourself, too?

Now, to get back to the point…what had that assault been about? Why the hell had that guy attacked her? Was there…something he was…**hiding**…in that alley?

The waitress rose shakily to her feet, determination evident in the set look on her face. Yes, her nosiness got the better of her. "If there **is **somethin' down there…Ah better check it out." This would be the second stupid thing she'd done that day, but she didn't care. Curiosity didn't **always** kill the cat, after all...really, it didn't! And, besides, she wasn't a cat!

Tae sighed heavily, collected herself, and proceeded down the alley, searching around herself warily for any sign of something to show that all wasn't right. The stone walls were damp with snow and ice, and the ground wasn't much better off. The waitress looked up at the sky, taking a moment of solace in the never-ending gray. For some reason, her heart was pounding furiously in her chest. Why was she afraid? Surely...there wasn't anything to be afraid of…

And then she hit a patch of ice.

Tae squeaked and threw her uninjured arm out, desperate to try and keep her footing…

The second her hand touched the slick, gravelly wall, she knew something was **deadly** wrong.

A sort of…rusty smell hung in the air. It pervaded her senses, causing her to choke. _And…why…is the wall…slimy? What…the hell…is goin' on?_

As soon as she was positive that her balance had been restored, she brought her hand back and pulled a loose chestnut bang behind her ear, deep in thought. _Ah know…that smell…_Wait. Oh, no. No, no, no.

Blood.

It was…blood.

Blood…covered the wall.

And it was on her hand…on her face…oh…oh, it was in her hair, too…

The waitress shivered and backed up quickly, not wanting to see where the blood had come from. No, she had to get away, had to-

...Slip…

…And fall…

...On the exact same patch of ice…

Her back hit the ground with a resounding thud, and the breath was temporarily knocked from her.

Once again, she encountered the dull, gray sky.

But this time, something was different.

This time, something was soaking through her kimono.

And it sure as hell wasn't water.

Tae suppressed the urge to vomit and sat up swiftly, her eyes widening at the gory scene before her.

There, lying on the ground a few feet away…was…the body of a man. Blood dripped lazily down from a repulsive wound across his torso, staining the snow beneath him a violent crimson-red. His head had obviously been hacked off...the stump of a neck proved that...and had been casually tossed aside like a discarded toy. The eyes - what was left of them, anyways - were wide and glazed…not to mention utterly and completely terrified. His tongue lolled from the gash of a mouth, creating a sardonically comical air about him. Blood covered the ground, the walls, the man...to Tae, the whole picture looked almost like a painter had gone a bit crazy with the scarlet paint...

"N-no…nooooo…oh Kami…dear Kami-sama..." The waitress covered her mouth and gagged. Tears forced their way to her chocolate-colored eyes. _Oh…oh…oh, no…_

She pushed herself from the ground and staggered backwards, even as her stomach rebelled. Her poor lunch…it had been a good lunch, too…

_The po-lice…that's where Ah gotta go…ta' the po-lice station…_

Tae didn't know how they'd react to her being covered in blood, but she didn't give a shit at the moment. Her stomach heaved again. She just had to get away from there…maybe...maybe Chou would be at the police station…maybe **he** would be able to help her…

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(With Chou, 10:07 pm)

Chou's eye narrowed as the voices came closer. He focused in on the barely discernable shapes in the gloom: one tall and skinny, the other a bit on the short side. _Damned bastards…attackin' a little girl…baka cowards…_ He growled and shifted his stance slightly, allowing it to become a bit weaker. Okay, enough was enough. Letting them charge him would be the easiest course of action…plus, it'd be a **helluva** lot more fun… "Come on, come on, Ah don't got all day…er…night! Git over here, ya' bastards, an' lemme beat ya' up real good like!" Heh heh...this would be amusing, indeed…

A few feet away in the dark, icy alley, Fumeiyo's bald head whipped up at the sound of a freaky, Kansai-accented voice. "Who's there?" He barked menacingly to try and scare away the speaker. Chou wasn't frightened, or even intimidated, for that matter. These men were going to be a piece of cake…

Oh, the Katana-gari was enjoying this. "Eh, jus' some guy that wants ta' beat the shit outta ya', s'all. So, what's it gonna beh? Do ya' want meh ta' come over there and destroy ya', or do ya' wanna come over here and trah ta' double-team meh? S'ya're choice…" Chou used his best, creepiest, and most deadly sounding snarl he could muster. Ah, yes, this proved that he had definitely spent too much time around Saito…

Janen nudged his shorter partner in the ribs with a well-placed, shaky elbow. He swallowed hard and tried to ignore the fear that had numbed his legs. "…F-Fumeiyo? Wh-who is that?"

The man with the crooked teeth couldn't answer him, though, for he didn't have any clue, either. But, whoever it was would sorely regret slowing them down. "Hey! You've made a huge mistake, bastard! I'll kill you!" And so, predictably, he charged.

Ah, what...an…idiot…

The Katana-gari grinned widely and shot forward with his left arm, lunging with the sheath of the katana and catching the stampeding Fumeiyo right in the stomach with it. The said man made a guttural, choking sort of noise, clutched his injured gut, and then slid to the snow-covered ground, unconscious.

Chou smirked at Janen, who was eyeing his fallen companion with uncontrolled terror. "Well, that guy was an idjit. He shoulda known better'n run at meh in the dark." The Katana-gari shrugged and gave a huge, sarcastic sigh. "…Lackeys are gittin' stupider an' stupider these days, Ah reckon."

Janen backed up a step, nearly slipped on the ice, and stared at Chou with wide, petrified gray eyes. "Wh-who…who a-are y-you?" He squeaked, shaking his head from side-to-side. "Who the hell **are** you?"

The broom-head smirked evilly and leaned the katana back on his shoulder. "They call meh Katana-gari no Chou…sword-collector extraordinaire. But ta' ya', Ah'm jus' a po-lice off'cer out lookin' fer leads 'bout a drug-smugglin' ring…" There was a pause as Chou brought the sword back down and pointed it at the quivering man, grinning all the while. "…**Ya'** wouldn't happen ta' know anythin' 'bout it, would ya?"

The gray-eyed man visibly blanched. "SHIT! It ain't worth it!" He screamed (A very feminine scream, I should add) and took off past Chou, his feet making huge dents in the snow as he went. _Maybe if I go fast enough, I'll lose him…that's right…just go faster…why'd I ever agreed to do this, anyways? Baka Fumeiyo! IT'S ALL **HIS** FAULT!_

Chou's eye followed the form of the retreating man, and he sighed again. _What a baka… _"Heh heh heh…pathetic…HEY! Ya' aren't tryin' ta' git 'way from meh, are ya? Why, that'd beh a right stupid thing ta' do!" He set the katana by his side. "Are ya' **sure** ya' wanna do that? Ah'll give ya' 'nother chance ta' git back here!"

There was no way in hell Janen was going to do something **that** stupid. And, besides, what could the broom-headed policeman do to him from way back there?

"All right, suit yerself!" Chou swung the katana forward, using centrifugal force to send the sheath flying towards the unsuspecting man. There was a loud, sickening crack as it came in contact with the back of Janen's head. Then, he too crumpled to the ground like his companions before him, though he managed it with a bit more dignity.

The Katana-gari smirked and chuckled quietly to himself. "Heh heh…too easy...s'too bad...Ah almost feel like a bully…" The leer widened. "…And then, the feeling passes..." Chou slowly trudged over to the fallen Janen, and (just as a precaution to see if he was awake, of course…not to inflict any more bodily harm, or anything), kicked him hard in the side. The man groaned, but otherwise didn't move an inch. "Aww…poor guy…Ah musta hit 'im too hard..." There was another pause as the Katana-gari bent down to retrieve his sheath. He slowly slid his sword into it and shoved it back into his belt. "…Oh, well…he'll live…hopefully."

It only took him a few seconds to grab Janen's collar and drag him over to the unconscious Fumeiyo. Once there, he seized the backs of their gis firmly in either hand and swung them up and over both of his shoulders, stumbling back slightly at the sudden weight. "Ack! Argh…damn, they're heavy!" After Chou was positive that the weight was evenly distributed, he started off down a random road. It wasn't until he reached a crossroad…

…that he remembered…

"Oh, shit! Ah don't know where the hell Ah **am**!"

Well, going left was always a good option…

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(With a random policeman named Kinben-who-isn't-important-enough-to-have-a-first-name, 10:15 pm)

Kinben the policeman yawned widely and rearranged the mess of papers on Inspector Sawagejou's desk languidly. How many times had he nodded off, now? Ugh…what he really wanted to do was go home and sleep…but no, the bastard broom-head had ordered him to stay at the station until he came back. Che. He leaned back in the Western-style chair and propped his feet up on the desk, purposely rubbing off as much dirt as he could on it. Stupid broom-head…if only Kinben could take one of those swords and shove it-

The police station door suddenly slammed open with a bang, revealing Sawagejou Chou himself. Except he wasn't alone…

"Dammit, Kinben! Help meh out, here! AND GIT YER FEET OFFA MAH DESK!"

The policeman yelped, tipped too far in the chair, and fell backwards in an undignified heap upon the wooden floor. Without missing a beat, he flew to his feet, dusted himself off, and saluted the Katana-gari. (A/n: Did that partially rhyme?) "Y-yes sir, sorry sir!"

Chou growled in annoyance, an anger mark evident on his forehead. _Dammit…now Ah know how boss feels…Ah'm surrounded by incompetent fools…_ "Jus' take these two bakas and throw 'em in a cell! Let 'um rot down there fer a day bafore we question 'um…an' hurry up 'bout it!" The broom-head swung the deadweight from his shoulders and dumped the two men upon poor Kinben.

The said policeman squeaked and nearly flopped to the ground, but obeyed Chou's orders nonetheless. He disappeared down a flight of stairs, stumbling all the while. This left the Katana-gari in the room alone.

"Whew…Ah can't balieve Ah made it…was another lucky guess, Ah s'pose…" He sighed and ran a hand through (up) his hair, dislodging a few strands in the process. "…Ugh…now all Ah gotta do is find mah inn, where Ah can fahn'ly git ta' sleep…"

And then there was the sound of running feet behind him, and of a body slamming hard into a doorframe. Chou spun around, only seeing a blur of red before something crashed into him and nearly knocked the poor broom-head to the ground.

"CHOU! THANK KAMI-SAMA YA'RE HERE!" Sekihara Tae wrapped her arms around the startledKatana-gari and burst into relieved tears. She buried her face into his shoulder, unable to quell the hysterical sobs that erupted from her throat.

Chou blinked down at her, shock evident on his face. "…TAE? Tae, what the hell're ya' **doin'** here? Ah don't see why-"

And then he noticed something that caused his heart to skip a beat.

The waitress was covered from head to toe…

…in blood.

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Jasmine: Well, there you go! I hope you liked it! (Grins) And, even if you didn't, the next chappie should be better. Let me just say that it involves fire. Lotsa fire. Muah-hah hah.  
Saito: …I should arrest you, you freaky little pyromaniac.  
Jasmine: (Smirks) Me lurvie da' fah-lames… (Pokes the Fire-sama)  
Saito: Someone, get me out of here…look, I'll even say please. See? I said it.  
Jasmine: (Ahem) ANYways, I've found another mistake I've been making… (Sad face) Nobody told me that I've been spelling "Kansai" wrong! I've been spelling it "Konsai"! ARGH! Curse my brain! It's almost as bad as the mistake in chappie one! (Damn you, Lexi!)  
Saito: …Feh…I need a cigarette…  
Jasmine: Well, 'till next time, loyal reviewers, this is Jasmine Reinier and Hajime-chan, signing off!

"People only have hope…because they cannot see Death standing behind them…"

R and R!

Japanese Words:

Chou: Butterfly  
Battosai: Manslayer  
Hajime: Begin  
Kenshin: Devotion/Sword Heart  
Kami: God  
Fumeiyo: Dishonor  
Janen: Vicious Mind  
Katana-gari no Chou: Sword-hunter Chou (Butterfly)  
Kinben: Diligence (Ironic, ne?)  
Tanto: A small knife that samurai used to carry with them  
Katana: A Japanese curved sword – the main weapon of a samurai  
Kuso: Shit  
Yarou: Bastard  
Baka: Idiot  
Kansai: A Japanese dialect. Speakers are usually from Osaka or Kyoto. In the anime, they have southern accents.  
Gi: Basically the shirt-like thing most of the guys in RK wear. Kenshin's is pink.  
-chan: Adding it to the end of a name means "little". Also used frequently between friends.  
-sama: Adding it to the end of a name means "lord". In this case, "Kami-sama", means "Lord God", or something along those lines.


End file.
